Ernie Els Facing a Must-Win Scenario at Shell Houston Open to Make The Masters

When defending Masters champion Charl Schwartzel was dreaming of accomplishing the reality he reached last year at Augusta, those dreams were fueled by the legacy of South African golfers Gary Player and Ernie Els. Player created the gravel road that lead from Johannesburg to major championship success, and Els paved that road over for guys like Schwartzel and Trevor Immelman (the 2008 Masters champion.)

However, while Player, Schwartzel and Immelman will all be united next week at Augusta National, Ernie Els hasn’t received his Masters invitation. And he won’t, unless he wins this week at the Shell Houston Open.

The field for The Masters has been set, and after disheartening finishes the past two weeks at the Transitions Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Els failed to make the Top 50 in the World Golf Rankings and didn’t earn an invitation to Augusta. Now, the only way for Els to circumvent the system is to win this week at Redstone Golf Club, site of the 2012 Shell Houston Open.

Unlike Player, Schwartzel and Immelman, Ernie Els, a three-time major champion, hasn’t earned the lifetime exemption that comes with a Masters championship, although he has finished second twice (2000 and 2004.) And even though fans and pundits have plead the case for Els to earn a special exemption, Els understands the qualifying process.

“The deal is you’ve got to qualify for the Masters – all the players know that,” Els told the Augusta Chronicle.

Unfortunately for Els, who has played in every Masters since an eighth place finish at his first appearance in 1994, his hopes now run through Houston. Luckily, Els is no stranger to winning on the PGA Tour, having won 18 events on tour throughout his career.

But, recently Ernie Els hasn’t responded especially well to the pressures associated with qualifying for The Masters. He missed a short putt that would have got him into a five-way playoff at the Transitions Championship, and with an opportunity to also qualify with a solo third-place finish at Bay Hill, Els stuck his tee shot on the 17th into the embankment of a pond and made bogey, finishing tied for fourth.

He’ll have one last chance in Houston, and for his sake, I hope he qualifies. After 18 straight appearances at Augusta, it’s hard to imagine a Masters without the Big Easy.