Browse Sections
Interactive
Popular Sections
Partly sunny; chillySport
| 
Submit Comments
Els' worst Open score
17/ 7/2008
FORMER champion Ernie Els carded his worst round in the Open after a 10-over-par 80 at Royal Birkdale.
The South African's previous highest score was a 78 in the first round at Royal St George's in Sandwich where he went on to finish joint 18th.
Els, who won at Muirfield in 2002 in similar wet and windy weather as today, came unstuck on the back nine at the Southport links.
He went to the turn in just one over after a succession of pars were interrupted by a solitary bogey at the par-four sixth.
However, things started to go wrong with dropped shots at the 10th and 12th before finishing with two double bogeys and two bogeys in his last five holes.
Els dropped another shot at the last to return an 80, the 38-year-old unsurprisingly declining to talk to waiting reporters after dropping seven shots in the last five holes.
Ian Poulter showed what was possible on the closing stretch, picking up birdies on the 15th and 17th to finish two over par, second in the clubhouse alongside Korea's KJ Choi.
And former Masters champion Mike Weir then fired the first eagle of the day on the 17th, holing from 15ft to improve to one over par.
Got an opinion you want to share?| Card | BT Fee |
| Virgin Credit Card | 2.98% |
| Capital One Low Rate Balance Transfer | 1.7% |
| Capital One Low Rate Platinum | HASH(0x2ba4d5314c40) |
| Capital One Fixed Rate Card | 0.0% |
| Company | Typical APR |
| Platinum Exclusive Loan | 7.8% |
| Halifax (Semi-exclusive) | 8.6% |
| Bank of Scotland (Semi-exclusive) | 8.6% |
| Alliance & Leicester | 8.7% |
| Lloyds TSB | 8.9% |
| Provider | AER* |
|
ICICI BANK HiSAVE Savings Account |
5.50% |
|
PRINCIPALITY BS e-SAVER |
5.35% |
|
ANGLO IRISH BANK Easy Access Account Issue 2 |
5.25% |
|
FIRST DIRECT Everyday e-Saver |
2.75% |
|
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER Online Tracker |
4.75% |
|
BRADFORD & BINGLEY eSavings 6 |
4.60% |
|
SAINSBURYS FINANCE Internet Saver |
4.00% |
|
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER eSaver - Issue 2 |
5.00% |
|
POST OFFICE Instant Saver |
3.75% |