Ernie Els can't seem to shake the black cloud that has hovered over him for the last three-plus years.

Since 2004, when he had a chance to win all four majors and walked away with none of the titles, Els' career has seemingly been in a funk.

It includes his unfortunate water skiing accident where he injured his knee, an injury that still seems to bother him a bit.

And every time it appears Els might finally break free of the doom and step back into the light, something else happens to keep him from gaining momentum.

Look at what's taken place for Els in the last few weeks:

First he missed the cut at the Masters, his first missed cut in a major in more than seven years.

Then he goes to Heritage and opens with a pair of 65s, but in the end he's edged out by Boo Weekley, who beats the Big Easy with two miraculous chip shots for par on 17 and 18.

Even Els admits it's tough to take those kinds of losses.

"Obviously I'm disappointed the way the tournament finished at Harbour Town on Monday," Els wrote on his Web site. "But when the guy you're challenging for the win chips in on both of the last two greens to beat you by a shot, what can you say? Well done to Boo Weekley; I guess it was his time. It's hard to take, though.

"... Anyway, I've got to keep my head up and keep putting in the work. The wins will come. I just need to stay patient. I really thought this might be my week, though."

Weekley's heroics means that Els still hasn't won on U.S. soil since 2004.

Can Els rebound and get close to the player he was before the accident?

I think he can, but if it's going to happen, it has to happen soon.

Els is 37, an age which affords him the luxury of combining experience with top-level talent.

Physically, he is still young enough to hit it out there with the young guns. After feeling the effects of his knee injury for more than a year, Els seems healthy.

The big question with Els is the mental side of the game. The area between his ears is probably the one thing that can prevent Els from returning to the top of the world rankings.

Throughout his career, Els has openly talked about the gremlins, the little man that sits on his shoulder during tournaments and whispers bad thoughts in his ear.

No, I don't believe that Els truly believes he has a little man talking to him. It's simply his creative way to describe the doubt that most every one of us faces in pressure situations.

The question is whether Els can successfully push that little man back inside his cage, like he did when he battled down the stretch to win the 2002 British Open.

Els admits that in the past he's been too obsessed with things to a point that he's let the demons hold him down.

So having such a long and difficult stretch could prove to be difficult for Els to mentally get past.

He admits he's trying not to be so hard on himself, to not push himself so hard that he actually fights himself.

Talking about it is a good first step, but Els must continue to stay focused without driving himself crazy.

There are few golf fans who aren't pulling for Els to become the Ernie of old. When he's playing well, Els is a joy to watch. And as big-name athletes go, he's one of the nicest people you will ever find.

Golf is better when Els is lurking near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.

So as we progress through spring, let's hope the dark clouds that Els has been dealing with finally fade away, allowing the sun to shine on him again.

— Bob Buttitta is The Star's golf columnist. He can be reached at bbuttitta@VenturaCounty Star.com.