Ernie! Ernie! Ernie!

I woke up this morning, went to my computer eager to check the scores of the tournament, and I almost blew my top. Tiger had already carded a 65 and was three shots ahead of second place Chris DiMarco (who incidentally had a triple bogey in round 1). Thankfully, some good players hadn't teed off yet.

Ernie Els answered my prayers and matched Tiger's 65 to end the day one shot behind, at eleven under. A couple of other players like Retief Goosen, played well, but unless he, DiMarco, "the Mechanic", or Adam Scott go low tomorrow, it's a two-man horserace.

In the press conference following his round, Els sounded VERY confident. He didn't sound afraid of going low and taking down Tiger. I'm hoping he's ready to back up his talk tomorrow and on Sunday. He's played with Tiger many times and knows what to expect. And, unlike some other players, he and Woods get along well, so he will be comfortable playing with him in the final group.

It will be a great weekend if Ernie steps up. I know I'll be rooting hard for him in front of my 21 inch Panasonic.