Els Blog: Full of confidence, I can't wait to tee it up

Even though he didn't experience much success at the Shell Houston Open last weekend, finished even par to finish tied for 44th, Ernie Els says that he is brimming with confidence and momentum as he prepares for the Masters.

By Ernie Els

Although things didn't quite work out for me in last week's Shell Houston Open, shooting level par to finish tied-44th, I'm still satisfied with my decision to play there. After winning at Bay Hill, I did briefly think about taking the week off, but I'd have just been at home thinking about a lot of things and maybe over-practicing. I figured it was a better idea to play Houston. It was a tournament I really enjoyed last year and besides, I had made a commitment to play and I felt strongly that I wanted to honor that commitment.

And this is a great golf course to play the week leading up to the Masters. It's in unbelievably good shape and although nothing compares to Augusta National, the way they set up the course in Houston presents a similar kind of test. It's a big golf course with firm, fast greens and not much rough to speak of. It's a proper championship golf course in every way from tee to green.

I felt that my level-par aggregate didn't quite reflect the way I played, because there was a lot of good stuff in there. I just found some trouble off the tee in all the wrong places and had maybe three or four really bad holes. Other than that, it was okay. Also, it gave me a chance to work in a competitive situation on some of the shots that I need to play at Augusta this week.

I had already traveled up to Augusta the previous Tuesday to show my caddy Dan Quinn around. People have said to me in the past couple of weeks why not keep Ricci on the bag and stick with a winning formula, but we've made this decision and Ricci and Dan are happy with it. And so am I. I mean, I've been to Augusta so many times that I don't think anybody can tell me anything more about this golf course than I already know. Seriously, I know my way around!

Although we weren't allowed to play the course last week, it was good to have a walk around and feel inspired again by this amazing golf course. I saw Tiger out there. He was practicing and seemed in good spirits. It's been a while since I've seen him, so we had a good chat and it was nice catching up again. Tiger is going to be the main story for a few days, but I'm sure he wants that part over and done with and like the rest of us he'll then turn his attention to Thursday's first round.

I honestly can't wait to tee it up. This year I'm going in with a fair bit more confidence and momentum than I have had for a while. You know, I think the whole package is there. My mindset is a lot better. I'm hitting the ball well and the key thing is my short game and putting are both a lot sharper than they have been for a couple of years. Obviously that is the key ingredient to success at Augusta. You've got to chip and putt really well to compete here. I'm looking forward to it.

Anyway, I'll write again next week and tell you all about it, so bye for now.

Editor's note: To learn more about Ernie Els, visit www.ernieels.com