Ernie Els hits fan, three-putts on No. 1 in Masters second round
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Ernie Els got off the first hole relatively unscathed.
The same can’t be said for the fan he hit.
Els pulled his second shot from the fairway way left Friday morning, and it hit Luke Fewel, who was standing alongside the green. The ball hit Fewel just behind his right temple; course medical personnel gave him an ice pack and some ibuprofen.
“I heard some people yelling, 'Fore!’ and then I felt it,” said Fewel, who is at the Masters for the first time this year.
“I’m fine, I think. Shocked.”
That’s a good way to describe pretty much everyone’s reaction to Els’ performance on No. 1. On Thursday, the four-time major champion made a 9 – that’s a quintuple bogey, for those keeping score – after six-putting from three feet.
It was the worst opening-hole score in Masters history.
Els was still struggling Friday, though it wasn’t quite as bad. His chip from the crosswalk between the green and the No. 9 tee left him 47 feet to the hole, and his first putt got within 18 inches. Now, that would be a gimme for most players, but Els knocked it 11 inches by the hole on his first attempt, drawing a gasp from the gallery.
Els made his third putt, leaving him with a double-bogey 6.
After 39 putts in the first round, Els has 42 through the first 19 holes of the tournament.
