It was one of the grander moments of golf in Washington.
Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie were dueling on the 18th green of the 1997 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club. Tom Lehman and Jeff Maggert watched from the 17th. It was a rare moment in a sport where the final four seldom see each other nearing the clubhouse.
Third-round leader Lehman and Maggert needed miracles to win, though. It was down to Montgomerie and Els. Montgomerie flinched, and Els won by a stroke.
“[Montgomerie and I] really kind of pulled each other along, I must admit,” Els said. “That’s the way I felt. He made an early move and then I’d come and then he’ll come and then the guys behind us, Tom and Jeff Maggert, were always there.
“So it was a great battle. Obviously, I say great battle because I came through winning the tournament. But we really kept each other going, and we’re going to miss Colin here this week.”
Fourteen years later, Els and the U.S. Open return to Congressional on Thursday. The 41-year-old has two other major titles, 18 PGA Tour victories and $40.7 million in earnings. Els appeared among the game’s next stars after U.S. Open victories in 1994 and ’97, but two Masters runner-up finishes and two third-places at the PGA Championship kept him from his expectations of winning perhaps eight majors.
The focus isn’t always there anymore, Els admitted on Tuesday. That’s a deadly sin in golf. Redemption may be found in each tournament, though, and Els knows it can come once more.
“You’ve got to have that picture in your mind, a clear picture of you lifting the trophy, and I think it’s a long, long journey, a long road to get to that Sunday afternoon presentation,” he said. “You’ve just got to keep believing that it’s your week.
“It’s a funny game. You start getting good breaks, and when you start getting good breaks the belief gets stronger. It’s really having that little dream in front of you and just keep playing. It’s a big struggle out there. At times you feel like you want to go home, but it’s the U.S. Open and it’s a special week.”
Els thought he had that needed focus in the 2010 U.S. Open only to finish third. He admitted the loss has plagued him since. Els has no top-10 finishes in 11 tournaments this year.
“When I look back at Pebble Beach, I played such wonderful golf from tee to green,” he said. “I just kept missing inside eight feet almost on every hole, and I was really, really very disappointed after that.
“You know, I don’t know exactly how the brain works, but that really was quite a big disappointment. I really felt that I did play the golf that I wanted to play, that I envisioned to play and I didn’t quite get the result that I wanted.”
Maybe Congressional has one more dose of redemption awaiting.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
