Ernie Els, today, officially withdrew from Arnold Palmer’s prestigious Bay Hill Invitational tournament after 15 years of consecutive appearances.  Els sites fatigue as the reason.  He’s been playing a heavy schedule including stops on the European Tour and then joining the PGA for the Florida swing.

Els plans on taking time in Florida to work on his game and rest up for The Master’s, just 4 weeks away.  The withdrawal comes as a shock to the PGA tour and the field.  Els’s play has been erratic, to say the least.  Coming off of a win two weeks ago at the Honda Classic, followed by a missed cut last week at the PODS, the withdrawal follows suit of the unexpected from the Big Easy.

Inconsistent play like this can only lead to an early flight back to South Africa if Els doesn’t settle down his game put a leash on his mental battles going on within.