Golf Events / Editor / 14 April 2007 /

Ernie Els has not had too much to shout about on the PGA Tour in recent years but for the laid-back South African that could be set to end at this week's Verizon Heritage tournament after taking a three-shot lead at the halfway stage.

There was no-one more disappointed at the US Masters last week than Els as he missed his first cut in a Grand Slam event since the 1999 US PGA Championship.

But the world number five has quickly shrugged off the disappointment to shoot successive six-under-par rounds of 65 on the first two days at Harbour Town to take a firm grip on the event.

Els, who has not won on the PGA Tour for nearly three years, leads by three shots from Jerry Kelly, with Fred Funk and Stephen Leaney lying a shot further back and the American duo of Sean O'Hair and Kevin Na stood on seven under.

Not surprisingly, Els' commanding advantage at the top of the leaderboard is reflected in the Betfair market where he is trading at 1.71 to win his first Heritage title and just 1.12 to finish in the first five.

Kelly can be backed at 8.4 to win with Leaney available at 18 ahead of Funk (20), O'Hair (27), defending champion Aaron Baddeley (32) - who remains in the hunt six strokes behind Els - Rod Pampling (42) and Vaughn Taylor (52).

Els has a fine record at Harbour Town having finished in the top 10 six times in his eight appearances at the par-71 course.

But he has never won there and if he is to do so he must first exorcise the ghosts of 2000 and three years ago.

In 2000, the 37-year-old led the field on the final day by five shots with only 12 holes to play but then came back in five-over-par to finish third while he was two strokes ahead with three holes left in 2004, only to drive out of bounds at the 16th and then bogey the final two holes to miss out again.

Els has looked in a different sort of mood this week though. He has made relatively few mistakes and, when he has, he has simply shrugged them off and moved on to the next hole.

He leads the statistics for greens in regulation hit this week with 83 per cent while he has also been markedly improved on the greens than in recent weeks where he is averaging 1.667 per putt when he hits the green.

Els is paired with US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy in the tournament match-betting this week where he could be a good bet, while the odds on the winner triumphing by four shots are an attractive-looking 5.7.

Being the longest hitter in the world is not necessarily an advantage here where the onus is more on driving the ball well and find the fairway, and that means Kelly and Funk are likely to continue to be factors going into the weekend.

Kelly has continued his fine form from Augusta last week at the Heritage and, after leading the first round thanks to an eight-under 63, did well to get his second round back on track after opening with two bogeys in his first four holes. He can be backed at 1.79 to place in the first five.

Fellow forty-something Funk already has one victory under his belt this season and is again making people sit up and watch with his play. As his successive rounds of 67 prove, he is a man confident with all parts of his game at the moment and is trading at 2.3 to finish in the top five.

Taylor, seven strokes behind Els at halfway and available at 4 to come in the first five, appears likely to attract plenty of support over the weekend after his third-placed finish here last year and coming joint 10th at the US Masters.

But look out for a strong Australian challenge over the final two years as they try to win the tournament for the second year running.

Leaney leads their challenge at the moment and can be backed at 2.53 to finish as the top Australian this week, but Baddeley and Pampling (both 3.6 to emerge as the top Aussie) are breathing down his neck and are just one shot behind.

Pampling seems to get better and better every week he plays in America while Baddeley seems sure to put up a fierce defence of the first PGA title he won with an eagle at the final hole last year.

Baddeley, 3.3 to finish in the top five, is renowned as a strong finisher at tournaments - especially when he lies just off the pace as he does here - and could be the player to watch.

Nathan Green, available at 110 to win and sitting on the same mark as Taylor, will be keen to have his say though, after a second-round 66 which featured an albatross two at the par-five second hole.

O'Hair, 2.8 to come in the top five, is showing signs of returning to the sort of form that earned him a first PGA title in 2005 while, further down the field, veteran Mark Calcavecchia is 10 shots back but is capable of getting himself into contention and is trading at big odds of 550 to win and 18.5 to finish in the top five.

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