Watching Ernie Els play golf is like watching a swan glide along the surface of a lake. It's a scene of calm and beauty. Below the surface, the swan's legs are pumping away under water, but you don't think about that. With Els, though, I see the serene outer demeanor, the graceful swing and smile, but I rarely feel I know what's going on underneath.

	Ernie Els made just two birdies and two bogeys during his final-round 72.

Els is called "The Big Easy" because of his unflappable style and image. But the other side of that image is the knock that he doesn't care enough or doesn't have a clear competitive drive like Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson.

The comparison to Mickelson is interesting because Els has won two majors and Mickelson, as we all know, is still seeking his first major title. But Mickelson has 20 career PGA victories and Els only nine. Now Els' 26 international titles count for something but the PGA Tour is the big time in golf. Mickelson's desire is not questioned because we can see it and is sometimes even mentioned as a fault because he goes for everything and never plays it safe. But the 20 wins prove his approach is sound. When he wins his major, there will be no more doubting Mickelson's place in the game.

Els seems to have the quietest two major victories of any golfer. Those two U.S. Open wins keep him out of the big discussion: "Who is the best player never to have won a major?" But his laid back style seems to keep him out of a lot of other discussions, too. For a player of his accomplishment, Ernie Els is not mentioned as often as you would think. He has to have considered the last few years a bit of a waste. He's a great player who has passed all the tests. But he should be winning more, plain and simple.

Now Els may be eating himself up inside and just does a great job of covering it up. We can't see his competitive desire so we wonder if it's there. We don't have these questions about Woods. You can see it in his face and when he does that arm pump. He cares and it shows.

	Ernie Els stood up to Tiger Woods. And it wasn't some meaningless event in Thailand this time.

Els' win at Doral this weekend was important because it allowed him to surpass his win total for all of 2001. His name might start coming up now as a favorite in the coming months.

The victory was also important because Els successfully withstood a vigorous challenge from Woods on Sunday. Els has finished second to Woods six times over the years. The last time Els had an eight-shot lead over Woods on a Sunday was four years ago at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand. Woods won that time. This time, Els shot par and beat Woods by two strokes. He did not wilt under the pressure of Woods pulling out all the stops and firing a 66. Of course, it helps that Els had shot two rounds of 66 earlier himself. Give Tiger credit for making it close, and give Ernie credit for hanging on.

Els' work on the back nine on Sunday (two-putt pars on the last four holes) may be the result of his own realization that something was slipping past him. He really dug in and came up with a win. He hit big shots when he needed them. An eight-shot lead did not evaporate. Ernie Els stood up to Tiger Woods. And it wasn't some meaningless event in Thailand this time.

So the swan is still floating across the water. But this weekend we may have seen those legs pumping a bit.