LIFE HAS been put into perspective for Ernie Els these days. What happens on the course doesn't seem as important as it once did; although the desire to win, innate in his personality, burns as it ever did, writes Philip Reid.

His reaction to the 17th hole in Thursday's first round - "They should blow it up," he snarled after a triple bogey - typified his competitiveness.

If that triple bogey meant a flirtation with a missed cut, a more diplomatic Els arrived to the podium beside the record's hut after yesterday's second round 71 left him on 143, one under, guaranteed he would be around to contend over the weekend.

That hasn't happened too often on the US tour this season. His win in the Honda Classic in March - his first for three-and-a-half years in the States - has been followed by three missed cuts in four tournaments. And the one tournament that he did make the cut, the CA-WGC in Doral, he finished a lowly 75th.

Add in a virus that laid him low for a time, and you can see there hasn't been too much to shout home about.

Indeed, in searching to find his old self, Els even changed coaches. Butch Harmon was brought on board and David Leadbetter, who had been Els's swing coach since 1990, was ditched. "I just wanted to get a different feel, to get different words coming to me," admitted Els.

Yet, golf is golf; and much of Els's focus in recent times has been to promote awareness about autism after his five-year-old son, Ben, was diagnosed with the condition. Els and his wife, Leizl, only went public about their son's condition after his win in the Honda, and he now sports an "Autism Speaks" logo on his bag as well as undertaking charitable commitments to raise autism's profile and to fund research into it.

"I feel comfortable talking about it now, and I've got a profile that will help grab attention. That's what this problem needs and, with that, hopefully more people will get involved and we can start getting to what causes it and what can be done to help it," said Els.

"Like any family will tell you, it is not easy. It's a change of life, a change of priorities . . . and it is happening more often. I never knew about it, never thought about it, until it is in your lap."

Yesterday provided more good than bad as Els got under par for the tournament, even if it included a double bogey - on the fifth, his 14th hole of the day - to go with the triple bogey on the 17th the previous day.

"If you take two holes out, I'm leading the tournament," quipped Els, before adding more seriously: "I'm hitting a lot better golf shots, so I want to keep working on doing that. I think I am on track."

Els has been spending a lot of time on the range since teaming up with Harmon.

"Basically, I've just been working with Butch, going through the whole swing from set-up to ball position to alignment to everything. You know, we've had a couple of really good days, but to do work on the range is one thing, to get out on the course and do it is another.

"Again, I chose one of the toughest courses in the world to try something new . . . so there's a couple of tough days ahead for me. But I'm feeling good, and I feel I have a chance."

For the majority of the field, yesterday was one to grind. If you made a mistake, you had to forget it and get on with things.

Els did. Although his round featured that double bogey and two bogeys, he managed to claim five birdies.

And, having endured a triple bogey on the 17th on Thursday, he safely negotiated it on this occasion with a par.

In fact, Els compared some of the wind conditions yesterday with the difficulty players encountered at Muirfield in the 2002 British Open. That might seem far-fetched, given that the squall that hit the Scottish coast on that occasion blew away many potential contenders. But Els explained his theory.

"Those golf course are made (for wind), you can play the ball on the ground and hit all kinds of golf shots. This place, you've got water hazards all over the place so you have got to put the ball in the air. You know what? This is more difficult. The greens are firmer, faster. It's very difficult."

Life since his win in the Honda has been one of frustration, sufficiently so to allow the laid-back individual known as The Big Easy to drop his guard on occasion. Now, though, he is back playing and contending. Maybe he has turned the corner.

Again.