Ernie Els is reportedly weighing up a dramatic switch to the belly putter following his continued struggles on the greens. The three-time major winner will head to South Korea this week to compete at the Ballantine's Championship, still trying to rediscover the putting consistency that has been a major factor behind his 64 Tour wins. The problems with his short game haven't been a recent issue for Els, back in 2009 the South African described how his putting seemed to have gone to pot.
He said: "All of a sudden, it's like, 'Man, what's going on? I'm not making these putts anymore.' Normally when you make a certain putt, from there the momentum comes."
Those comments were made two years ago but things haven't got better for Els, despite brief promising signs last year, with his two PGA Tour wins and South African Open title showing the 'Big Easy' can still challenge the world's best. The decline in his putting is evident when looking at the putting average rankings, in which Els is way down in 159th in the world. That will be why the South African is reportedly willing to go against his principles and try out the controversial belly putter, a club Els has previously called for to be banned. Anyone looking at the open betting should take some time to see just how he gets on with it.
Adam Scott made the switch after his own troubles with his putting and the results were clear as the Australian came within a couple of shots of winning the Masters last month at Augusta. If Ernie wants to keep challenging the increased number of talented youngsters on the circuit, then he may well need to swallow his pride and shake hands with the devil.
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