Ernie Els Rant

Ernie Els Rant, VIRGINIA WATER, England — Call Ernie Els “The Big Uneasy.” The South African qualified for a nickname change after seeing red in the third round of the €4.5 million BMW PGA Championship, the European Tour’s flagship event. Els has never been as angry as he was when he finished his third round of the BMW PGA Championship. The South African launched into an angry, expletive-filled tirade against the Wentworth greens staff and the European Tour for the state of the Wentworth greens.


Els’ blood finally boiled over when he hit a 4-iron into the par-5 18th green and watched as the ball bounced into the back bunker. He failed to get up and down for birdie, and was hot when he came off the golf course.

“Really, I am pissed off,” Els said. “Conditions are tough and it has been blowing all night and this morning. I’ve asked them to put water on the bloody greens and then I spoke to JP (chief referee John Paramor) coming up the 15th and he said we did water it (the course) last night. I said ‘you have to triple that’. You have a damn 30 mph easterly breeze blowing so put (expletive) water on the greens.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. So now we have another situation and the guys aren’t going to be very happy.”

Els has fielded complaints from Europe’s elite over the last two years for radical changes he made to the Wentworth West course before the 2010 BMW PGA Championship. He softened the course for last year’s championship and again this year. The three-time major winner was looking for an easy time this year, but will feel the players’ wrath yet again.

With strong winds and hot temperatures drying out the greens, the Wentworth West Course turned into a U.S. Open style test in the third round.

“I am with the guys on this as I hit a shot on 18, a 4-iron, that pitched pin high and goes through to the back bunker. So if they put water on the damn green you at least have a chance to hold the (expletive) green.