Els surges to second but Hurley leads at PGA National

Ernie Els, a four-time major winner trying to end a three-year title drought, fired a six-under par 65 and leaped into second place after Saturday's third round of the PGA National.

The 46-year-old South African eagled the 12th hole at Congressional Country Club, holing his second shot on the fly from 157 yards in the fairway with a 9-iron, and ran off three birdies in a row starting at the par-5 sixth in the day's low round on the course where he won the 1997 US Open.

"The way I'm hitting it now, the way I'm swinging, I'm getting more confidence," Els said. I've had a terrible time last year and a half in results but I feel good. I want to go out there and prove something to myself again. Nothing to anybody else.

"I'm going to love being in contention."

Els finished on 13-under par 200 after 54 holes, two strokes behind leader Billy Hurley, a 607th-ranked resident of nearby Annapolis who fired a bogey-free 67 to stand on 198, a three-round event record, in search of his first PGA crown.

"I played pretty solid golf and I hope to do the same tomorrow," Hurley said. "No lead is big enough. The idea is to make some more birdies. I don't think even par will get it done."

Els, a member at Congressional, managed his first bogey-free round in 115 PGA rounds.

"Playing with a little confidence in the swing," Els said. "Found my swing and putting touch and just enjoying it. The putter was hot for me most of the round."

- Els resets after Masters -
It was a far cry from the humbling Masters meltdown Els had in April, making a quintuple bogey nine on the first hole at Augusta National, six-putting in his first round the worst-ever score on the opening Masters hole.

"The one at the Masters was probably the lowest of what can happen to a player, but I just hit the reset button, started working on positive stuff and getting my mindset different," Els said.

"I had a lot of practice on that first green but I try to put it behind me. It's very tough to do but I enjoy the game too much to end on a note like that."

Spaniard Jon Rahm, a 21-year-old in his professional debut, was third on 201 with Americans Bill Haas and Webb Simpson fourth on 203 and 53-year-old Fijian Vijay Singh sharing sixth on 205 with US rookie Harold Varner.

Els, ranked 296th, has not won since the European Tour's 2013 BMW International, has not won a US PGA-sanctioned event since the 2012 British Open and has not won a US tournament since 2010 at Bay Hill. He seeks a 20th US PGA title, which would bring US PGA Tour life membership.
After sandwiching three-foot birdie putts at six and eight around an 18-footer at the seventh, Els made his stunning eagle at 12.

"When the game gives you something there's a lot of excitement and that was really one of the more exciting moments," Els said. "I don't think I've ever slam-dunked it into the hole like that. It was a great feeling."

Els curled in a 23-foot birdie putt at the 14th but missed a five-foot birdie putt at 15 and lipped out a three-foot birdie putt at the par-5 16th or he might have shared the lead.

- Hurley hopes growth shows -
urley, 34, spent five years in the US Navy before reaching the tour. He hasn't finished in the top 30 in a stroke-play event for more than a year and lost at the 2014 Greenbrier Classic in his only other 54-hole lead position.

"I've been here before and the growth and experience to have been in the position to win tournaments will show," Hurley said.

Hurley, whose father was a former policeman that died last August of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, thought of his dad when finding himself flanked by policemen for security, a rarity in his career.  

"I think about my dad a lot," Hurley said.

Rahm endured a roller coaster round with five birdies and four bogeys. Not since Russell Henley at the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii has a player won his PGA pro debut.

"No matter what happens tomorrow, I feel like I belong here," Rahm said.

Singh, ranked 210th, could become the PGA's oldest winner and snap an eight-year title drought. Sam Snead, who was 52 when he won the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open, has the age mark now.

Source: AFP