Ernie Els Wins British Open Following Adam Scott Collapse

Ernie Els remarkably won his second Open Championship for his fourth career major victory. (Stuart Franklin)

Ernie Els wasn't sure if he would ever return to top form. Things started to go down hill in 2004 when Els had a chance to win all four majors, but came up empty. He then had knee surgery. Next, came his son Ben's diagnosis with autism. Admittedly distracted with his son's ailment, Els struggled with his putting and largely his game as a whole. Things got so bad that he didn't even receive an invitation to this year's Masters.

Els' saving grace appeared to be that he was returning to Royal Lytham, the very place he had won his previous Open Championship ten years prior. He had a solid first round, but coming into Sunday's final round, he and everyone else was looking up at leader Adam Scott. Els stood six shots behind Scott to start the day and remained that far back after the front nine. Following a birdie by Scott on the 14th hole, Els fell to four shots back once again. Els concluded his round with a nice 15-foot birdie on the 18th hole, but it really felt like too little, too late.

After all, Scott looked to have the Open Championship all but sealed up with a four shot lead with four holes to play. But that is when Scott's nerves got the best of him. Poor tee shots and putting led to his large lead vanishing before everyone's eyes. His puts for par, no matter how easy, went begging wide of the hole. With his lead completely gone, Scott still had one chance left at the 18th hole. However, a bunker shot put him trouble. Scott responded well though and had a put to force a playoff with Els. But it wasn't meant to be as he unbelievably missed another straight forward put.

The victory earned Ernie Els his second Open Championship and fourth career major victory overall. Amazingly enough, the four major victories have occurred over three decades. But for the man they call Big Easy, the road to this victory was anything but that. If one considers what Els did both to get to this point again and how he won it on Sunday, it is an incredible accomplishment to consider.

For Adam Scott, it is sheer disappointment. A man who has been so close so many times, he came up just short once again. This will be very difficult for Scott to get over. The remarkable thing is that one of the best people that can relate to him and this feeling is the man that beat him, Ernie Els. Els has overcome a difficult stretch, now maybe he can help Scott do the same.

Adam Scott's 6-Under 64 Leads 2012 British Open

Australian Adam Scott converted eight birdies as part of his 6-under 64 in the first round of the British Open Thursday. (Getty Images)

Royal Lytham & St. Annes in northwest England has set itself apart as the type of golf course that tends to bring the creme of the crop to the top. If the first round of this year's British Open is any indicator of how the rest of the tournament will play out, we could expect to see some of golf's best battling it out for the coveted major championship. While there were many great first round scores, one man's round was exceptionally better than the rest. That man was Adam Scott of Australia.

After an early bogey, Scott quickly bounced back and found his groove. His drives were precise, irons were steady, and putting game was confidently consistent. Scott came to the 17th hole on par to tie the record score (63) for the lowest round of any major ever. With a chance to make history, he settled for a par on the 17th and a bogey on the 18th to finish with a 6-under 64. Scott's score tied the course record set by Tom Lehman in 1996.

While Scott has never previously won a major, many of the players atop the leaderboard are former major winners. Paul Lawrie and Zach Johnson are one shot off the lead. Ernie Els, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, and Tiger Woods are all three shots back. That makes 7 of the top 13 in the leaderboard former major winners, who have won a combined 22 majors (14 by Woods). The other non-major winners near the top of the leaderboard are Nicolas Colsaerts (one shot back); Brandt Snedeker (two shots back); and Toshinori Muto, Steve Stricker, and Peter Hanson (all three shots back).

Royal Lytham has really distinguished itself as one of the greatest venues in the world. While it is only 6,973 yards in length, it more than compensates for it with its 205 bunkers and rough that swallows any balls that venture near it. In fact, since the Official World Golf Ranking debuted in 1986, every winner at Royal Lytham has been ranked #1 at one at some point in their career. No other course can boast of such an accomplishment.

Looking at our current leaderboard, the three former #1 ranked players are Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, and Rory McIlroy. If the aforementioned trend continues, these could be three of the top contenders to win the Open. Woods had a very good first round, hitting 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. His putting may need to improve if he is going to win. Els is a savvy veteran who is a former Open Championship winner. McIlroy won his first career major last year. He could be in prime position for a run at his second.

While that is all merely speculation, there are some things we can seem to bank on for the rest of the tournament. If first round scores are any indicators, we could be in for some excellent golf. Royal Lytham has provided a beautiful venue for the golfers and spectators. We appear to be in for some very exciting and well played golf. I look forward to seeing what takes place the rest of the way.