Callaway golfer Ernie Els will hope to improve on his performance at the Houston Open when the first round of the Masters gets underway on Thursday (April 9th).
The South African finished tied for 14th in Texas, recovering from a first-round 75 to shoot a 66 on Friday at Redstone Golf Club and eventually finishing six under par.
However, Els knows that he cannot afford such inconsistency if he wants to be in with a chance at the Masters this week.
Writing in his weekly website update, the 39-year-old acknowledged that Augusta has become "a very unforgiving golf course" that will punish even the slightest mistake.
"You have to be right on top of your game or you struggle, it''s as straightforward as that," he said.
Els has an extra incentive to perform well this week, having missed the cut last year while his compatriot Trevor Immelman claimed the green jacket.
"As always, I''ll be giving it absolutely every ounce of energy and concentration that I can muster," he added.
Els famously came close to victory at the Masters in 2004, when he held a three-stroke lead with five holes to play but was beaten by Phil Mickelson.
07/04/2009