Ernie Els hits fan in the head on No. 1 at Augusta the day after making a 9
Ernie Els began the 2016 Masters on Thursday by making a 9 on the first hole at Augusta National, the worst score recorded on No. 1 in the history of the tournament.
Obviously, that is bad, but it was even worse than it sounds. Els got on the green in three shots and then needed six putts to get the ball in the hole from three feet. It is gut-wrenching to watch for anybody, but particularly a nice guy like Els.
But Friday was a new day, one that hopefully would start better for Els on the first hole.
And then Els hit his second shot from the fairway.
The guy rubbing his right temple is Luke Fewel, a fan standing near the green who was hit in the head just behind his temple by Els' errant shot.
"I heard some people yelling, 'Fore!' and then I felt it," Fewel told USA Today. "I'm fine, I think. Shocked."
Els then knocked his third shot on the green and had 47 feet to the hole. He lagged his first put to two feet.
Els needed two more putts from there to get out of the first hole with a double-bogey, three shots better than Thursday.
After his round on Thursday, Els openly discussed the mental issues he's trying to battle on the green. He's desperately trying to fix them but doesn't really know how, mentioning how hard it is to compete when you have "snakes in your head."
Els will not make the cut at the Masters, but hopefully he can solve the mental "heebie jeebies," as he put it, that are holding him back on the green. He's too good of a player to go out like this.
