Ernie Els

Ernie Els
Golfer Ernie Els at US Open.jpg
Personal information
Full name Theodore Ernest Els
Nickname The Big Easy
Born 17 October 1969 (1969-10-17) (age 41)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight 220 lb (100 kg; 16 st)
Nationality  South Africa
Residence Wentworth, England;
George, South Africa;
Jupiter, Florida, USA
Spouse Liezl (m.1998)
Children Samantha (b.1999), Ben (b.2002)
Career
Turned professional 1989
Current tour(s) European Tour (joined 1992)
PGA Tour (joined 1994)
Professional wins 62
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 18
European Tour 25 (7th all time)
Japan Golf Tour 1
Sunshine Tour 15
Other 13
Best results in Major Championships
(Wins: 3)
Masters Tournament 2nd: 2000, 2004
U.S. Open Won: 1994, 1997
The Open Championship Won: 2002
PGA Championship 3rd/T3: 1995, 2007
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year		 1994
European Tour
Order of Merit winner		 2003, 2004
European Tour
Player of the Year		 1994, 2002, 2003
Sunshine Tour
Order of Merit winner		 1991/92, 1994/95

Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els (English pronunciation: /ˈɛls/; born 17 October 1969) is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature (he stands 1.91 metres) along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing. Among his numerous victories are three major championships: the U.S. Open in 1994 at the Oakmont Country Club and 1997 at the Congressional Country Club, and The Open Championship in 2002 at Muirfield.[1]

Other highlights in Els' career include topping the 2003 and 2004 European Tour Order of Merit (money list), and winning the World Match Play Championship a record seven times. He has held the number one spot in the Official World Golf Rankings and holds the record for weeks ranked in the top ten with over 750.[2][3]

Contents

Background and family

Growing up just east of Johannesburg in Kempton Park, South Africa, he played rugby union, cricket, tennis, and, starting at age 8, golf. He was a skilled junior tennis player and won the Eastern Transvaal Junior Championships at age 13. Els learned the game of golf at the Kempton Park Country Club where he started carrying for his father, Neels. He was soon playing better than his father (and his older brother, Dirk), and by the age of 14 he was a scratch handicap. It was around this time that he decided to focus exclusively on golf.

Els first achieved prominence in 1984, when he won the Junior World Golf Championship in the Boys 13-14 category. Phil Mickelson was second to Els that year. Els won the South African Amateur Championship a few months after his 17th birthday, becoming the youngest-ever winner of that event, breaking the record which had been held by Gary Player.

Els married his wife Liezl in 1998 in Cape Town and they have two children, Samantha and Ben. In 2008 after Els started to display an "Autism Speaks" logo on his golf bag it was announced that their five year old son was autistic.[4] Their main residence is at the Wentworth Estate near Wentworth Golf Club in the south of England. The family also has a home in Jupiter, Florida in order to get better treatment for Ben's autism.[5]

Professional career

1989-1996: Early Years and first major win

In 1989 Els won the South African Amateur Stroke Play Championiship and turned professional the same year. Els won his first professional tournament in 1991 on the Southern Africa Tour (today the Sunshine Tour). He won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit in the 1991/92 and 1994/95 seasons. In 1993 Els won his first tournament outside of South Africa at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan. In 1994 Els won his first major championship at the U.S. Open. Els was tied with Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts after 72 holes and they went to a 18 hole playoff the next day. The play-off consisted of 18 holes of golf but Els and Roberts were still tied by the end with Els eventually prevailing on the second hole of sudden death.

Ernie Els shares a laugh during the practice round for the 2004 Buick Classic

Els brought his game all around the world in his young career winning the Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour, and the Toyota World Match Play Championship defeating once again Colin Montgomerie four-and-two. The following year, Els defended his World Match Play Championship, defeating Steve Elkington three-and-one, won the Byron Nelson Classic in the United States then headed back home to South Africa and won twice more. In 1996 Els won his third straight World Match Play Championship over Vijay Singh three-and-one. No player in history had ever managed three successive titles in the one-on-one tournament. Els finished the year with a win at his home tournament at the South African Open.

1997-2002: Career years and multi-major championships

1997 was a career year for Els first winning his second U.S. Open (once again over Colin Montgomerie) this time at Congressional Country Club, making him the first foreign player since Alex Smith (1906, 1910) to win the U.S. Open twice. He defended his Buick Classic title and added the Johnnie Walker Classic to his list of victories. Els nearly won the World Match Play Championship for a fourth consecutive year, but lost to Vijay Singh in the final. 1998 and 1999 continued to be successful years for Els with 4 wins on both the PGA and European tours. 2000 started in historic fashion for Els being given a special honour by the Board of Directors of the European Tour awarding him with honorary life membership of the European Tour because of his two U.S. Opens and three World Match Play titles. 2000 was the year of runner ups for Els; with three runner up finishes in the Majors (Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship) and seven second place finishes in tournaments worldwide. Els had a disappointing 2001 season, failing to win a US PGA tour event for the first time since 1994 although he ended the year with nine second place finishes.

2002 was arguably Els's best year which started with a win at the Heineken Classic at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Then went to America and outplayed World Number one Tiger Woods to lift the Genuity Championship title. The premier moment of the season was surely his The Open Championship triumph in very tough conditions at Muirfield. Els overcame a four man playoff to take home the famed Claret Jug for the first time, also quieting his critics about his mental toughness. The South African also took home his fourth World Match Play title, along with his third Nedbank Challenge in the last four years dominating a world class field winning by 8 shots.

Ernie Els checks his shot at Westchester Country Club

2003-2005: The Big Five

2003 gave Els his first European Tour Order of Merit. Although playing less events than his competitors Els won four times and had three runner ups. He also performed well in the United States with back to back victories at the Mercedes Championship and Sony Open and achieved top 20 spots in all four majors including a fifth place finish at the U.S Open and sixth place finishes at both the Masters and PGA Championship. To top off the season Els won the World Match Play title for a record tying fifth time. In 2003 he was voted 37th on the SABC3's Great South Africans.

2004: Success among disappointment

2004 was another successful year as Els won 6 times on both tours including big wins at Memorial, WGC-American Express Championship and his sixth World Match Play Championship, a new record. His success did not stop there. Els showed amazing consistency in the Majors but lost to Phil Mickelson in the Masters when Mickelson birdied the 18th for the title, finished ninth in the U.S. Open after playing in the final group with friend and fellow countryman Retief Goosen and surprisingly losing in a playoff in the Open to the unknown Todd Hamilton. Els had a 14-foot put for birdie on the final hole of regulation for the championship, but Els missed the putt and lost in the playoff. Els ended the major season with a fourth place finish in the PGA Championship, where a three putt on the 72nd hole would cost him a place in the playoff. In total Els had 16 top 10 finishes, a second European Order of Merit title in succession and a second place finish on the United States money list. 2004 was the start of the "Big Five Era" which is used in describing the era in golf where Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Phil Mickelson dominated the game of golf. The five switched up and down the top five positions in the World Golf Ranking; most notably Vijay Singh's derailment of Tiger Woods as the best golfer in the world. The five stayed, for the most part, in the top five spots from 2004 until the start of 2007. Nine majors were won between them, many fighting against each other head to head.

Unlike most of his contemporaries, Els is known for his willingness to participate in tournaments all around the world (he regularly plays in European Tour-sanctioned events in Asia, Australasia, and his native country of South Africa). He says that his globe-trotting schedule is in recognition of the global nature of golf, but it has caused some friction with the U.S. PGA Tour, an organization that would prefer Els to play more tournaments in the United States. In late 2004, Tim Finchem, the director of the PGA Tour, wrote quite a firm letter to Els asking him to do so, but Els publicized and rejected this request. The PGA Tour's attitude caused considerable offense in the golfing world outside of North America.

In July 2005, Els injured his left knee while sailing with his family in the Mediterranean. Despite missing several months of the 2005 season due to the injury, Els won the second event on his return, the Dunhill Championship.

2006-present: Gradual recovery

At the start of the 2007 season Ernie Els laid out a three-year battle plan to challenge Tiger Woods as world number one. "I see 2007 as the start of a three-year plan where I totally re-dedicate myself to the game,"[6] Els told his official website.

When he missed the cut by two strokes at the 2007 Masters Tournament, Els ended tour-leading consecutive cut streaks on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. On the PGA Tour, his streak began at the 2004 The Players Championship (46 events) and on the European Tour it began at the 2000 Johnnie Walker Classic (82 events)

Ernie Els at Torrey Pines for the 2008 U.S. Open

Els has often been compared to Greg Norman in the sense that both men’s careers could be looked back on and think what could have been. Although the two of them are multiple major championship winners they have both shared disappointment in majors. Their disappointments have ranged from nerves, bad luck and simply being outplayed. 1996 was the year where Norman collapsed in the Masters and Els in the PGA Championship. Els has finished runner-up in six majors and most notably for his runner-up finishes to Tiger Woods. Els has finished runner-up to Woods more than any other golfer and has often been described as having the right game to finally be the golfer to beat Woods in a major.

On 2 March 2008, Els won the Honda Classic contested at PGA National's Championship Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Els shot a final round 67 in tough windy conditions, which was enough to give him the win by one stroke over Luke Donald. The win marked the end of a three and a half year long stretch without a win on the PGA Tour for Els. The win was his 16th PGA Tour victory of his career.

Els is represented by International Sports Management. When not playing, he has a golf course design business, a charitable foundation which supports golf among underprivileged youngsters in South Africa, and a highly-regarded wine-making business. Els has written a popular golf instructional column in Golf Digest magazine for several years.

On 8 April 2008, Els officially announced that he was switching swing coaches from David Leadbetter (whom Els had worked with since 1990) to Butch Harmon who has revamped the golf swings of many established pros (which started with Greg Norman). During Els 2008 Masters press conference Els said the change is in an effort to tighten his swing, shorten his swing, and get a fresh perspective.

On 8 November 2009, Els almost ended his year-long slump by shooting a course-tying record 9-under 63 in the final round of the WGC-HSBC Champions to finish at 16-under par 272, a stroke back of Phil Mickelson who finished with a 17-under 271 total including a final round of 3-under 69.

Els finally did break his winless streak by capturing the WGC-CA Championship at Doral in 2010, winning by four strokes over fellow countryman Charl Schwartzel.[7] It was Els' second WGC tournament title. The victory also saw Els overtake Colin Montgomerie to become the career money leader on the European Tour. Els then won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill two weeks later. It was his 18th PGA Tour victory, and his second in as many starts.[8]

Ernie continued his 2010 success with a T3 at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. He got a 2nd place in 2000 which was also at Pebble Beach.[9]

Other ventures

Els-designed golf courses

He is also responsible for the refinement and modernisation of the West Course, Wentworth-Virginia Water, England, which took place in 2006.

Courses under construction include:

Foundation

The Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation was established in 1999. It has the objective of identifying youths which show talent and potential in the game of golf from under-privileged backgrounds. It provides educational assistance amongst other moral and financial help in order for these youths to reach their full potential.

The first Friendship Cup was played in 2006 which is a match play competition, played in a Ryder Cup type format. In the cup, Els's foundation plays against the foundation of Tiger Woods. Els's foundation won 12.5 points to 3.5 points.

Els has also participated several times in the Gary Player Invitational series of charity golf events, to assist Player raise significant funds for underprivileged children around the world.

Autism-related activities

Since his son's autism diagnosis, he and his wife have been active in charities devoted to that condition. This involvement has increased as Ben has reached school age. In 2009, Els launched an annual charity golf event, the Els for Autism Pro-Am, held at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida near his South Florida residence during the PGA Tour's March swing into the area. The first event, which featured many PGA Tour and Champions Tour golfers, raised $725,000 for The Renaissance Learning Center, a nonprofit charter school in the area for autistic children. A large majority of the amateurs who paid to play in the 2009 event had a family member or friend with a child on the autistic spectrum. The couple has also established the Els Center of Excellence, which began as a drive to build a new campus for the aforementioned school but has since mushroomed into a $30 million plan to combine the school with a research facility.[11]

Quotes

“ I've never been a very technical player. I don't get caught up in swing positions and mechanics. When I work on my swing...I'm looking for feels. You'll get better results—and often more distance—if you swing at eighty percent effort. I get all kinds of people telling me I have the best swing in the world—it's beautiful, it's effortless. But I know when that isn't true. ”

[12]

—Els to Golf Digest

“ It's been a bit of a challenge ... It's so new to everybody, that a lot of people have different ideas. After seeing just about everybody in the world, I decided on this path we're going to go. Like any family will tell you, it's not easy. And it's a change of life, a change of priorities. You've got to be ready for it. And it's happening more often. I never knew about it, never thought about it, until it's in your lap. ”

[13]

—Els on his son Ben who was diagnosed with autism

Amateur wins (4)

Professional wins (62)

PGA Tour wins (18)

Legend
Major Championships (3)
World Golf Championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (13)
No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of
Victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 20 Jun 1994 U.S. Open -5 (69-71-66-73-74=279) Playoff Scotland Colin Montgomerie, United States Loren Roberts
2 14 May 1995 GTE Byron Nelson Classic -17 (69-61-65-68=263) 3 strokes United States Robin Freeman, United States Mike Heinen,
United States D. A. Weibring
3 9 Jun 1996 Buick Classic -13 (65-66-69-71=271) 8 strokes Australia Steve Elkington, United States Tom Lehman,
United States Jeff Maggert, Australia Craig Parry
4 15 Jun 1997 U.S. Open -4 (71-67-69-69=276) 1 stroke Scotland Colin Montgomerie
5 22 Jun 1997 Buick Classic -14 (64-68-67-69=268) 2 strokes United States Jeff Maggert
6 22 Mar 1998 Bay Hill Invitational -14 (67-69-65-73=274) 4 strokes United States Bob Estes, United States Jeff Maggert
7 21 Feb 1999 Nissan Open -14 (68-66-68-68=270) 2 strokes United States Davis Love III, United States Ted Tryba,
United States Tiger Woods
8 6 Aug 2000 The International 48 points (15-19-6-8=48) 4 points United States Phil Mickelson
9 3 Mar 2002 Genuity Championship -17 (66-67-66-72=271) 2 strokes United States Tiger Woods
10 21 Jul 2002 The Open Championship -6 (70-66-72-70=278) Playoff Australia Stuart Appleby, Australia Steve Elkington,
France Thomas Levet
11 12 Jan 2003 Mercedes Championships -31 (64-65-65-67 = 261) 8 strokes South Korea K. J. Choi, United States Rocco Mediate
12 19 Jan 2003 Sony Open in Hawaii -16 (66-65-66-67=264) Playoff Australia Aaron Baddeley
13 18 Jan 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii -18 (67-64-66-65=262) Playoff United States Harrison Frazar
14 6 Jun 2004 Memorial Tournament -18 (68-70-66-66=270) 4 strokes United States Fred Couples
15 3 Oct 2004 American Express Championship -18 (69-64-68-69=270) 1 stroke Denmark Thomas Bjørn
16 2 Mar 2008 Honda Classic -6 (67-70-70-67=274) 1 stroke England Luke Donald
17 14 Mar 2010 WGC-CA Championship -18 (68-66-70-66=270) 4 strokes South Africa Charl Schwartzel
18 29 Mar 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational -11 (68-69-69-71=277) 2 strokes Italy Edoardo Molinari, South Korea United States Kevin Na

PGA Tour playoff record (4-3)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1994 U.S. Open Scotland Colin Montgomerie, United States Loren Roberts Els and Roberts (74) beat Montgomerie (78) in 18-hole playoff; Els won on second hole of sudden death
2 2000 Mercedes Championships United States Tiger Woods Lost to birdie on second extra hole
3 2001 The Tour Championship Spain Sergio García, United States David Toms,
Canada Mike Weir		 All three others lost to Weir (birdie) on first extra hole
4 2002 The Open Championship Australia Stuart Appleby, Australia Steve Elkington,
France Thomas Levet		 Els (4-3-5-4) and Levet (4-3-5-4) beat Appleby (4-3-5-5) and Elkington (5-3-4-5) in four-hole playoff; Els won with par on first hole of sudden death
5 2003 Sony Open in Hawaii Australia Aaron Baddeley Won with birdie on second extra hole
6 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii United States Harrison Frazar Won with birdie on third extra hole
7 2004 The Open Championship United States Todd Hamilton Lost after four-hole playoff:
Els (4-4-4-4), Hamilton (4-4-3-4)

European Tour wins (25)

Legend
Major Championships (3)
World Golf Championships (2)
Other European Tour (20)
No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of
Victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 30 Jan 1994 Dubai Desert Classic -20 (61-69-67-71=268) 6 strokes Australia Greg Norman
2 20 Jun 1994 U.S. Open -5 (69-71-66-73=279) Playoff Scotland Colin Montgomerie, United States Loren Roberts
3 19 Feb 1995 Lexington South African PGA Championship -9 (65-71-71-64=271) 2 strokes South Africa Roger Wessels
4 26 Jan 1997 Johnnie Walker Classic -10 (70-68-71-69=278) 1 stroke Australia Peter Lonard, New Zealand Michael Long
5 15 Jun 1997 U.S. Open -4 (71-67-69-69=276) 1 stroke Scotland Colin Montgomerie
6 8 Feb 1998 South African Open -15 (64-72-68-69=273) 3 strokes South Africa David Frost
7 24 Jan 1999 Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship -15 (67-69-69-68=273) 4 strokes South Africa Richard Kaplan
8 15 Jul 2000 Standard Life Loch Lomond -11 (69-67-68-69=273) 1 stroke United States Tom Lehman
9 3 Feb 2002 Heineken Classic -17 (64-69-69-69=271) 5 strokes Australia Peter Fowler, England David Howell,
Australia Peter O'Malley
10 10 Mar 2002 Dubai Desert Classic -16 (68-68-67-69=272) 4 strokes Sweden Niclas Fasth
11 21 Jul 2002 The Open Championship -6 (70-66-72-70=278) Playoff Australia Stuart Appleby, Australia Steve Elkington,
France Thomas Levet
12 2 Feb 2003 Heineken Classic -15 (70-72-66-65=273) 1 stroke England Nick Faldo, Australia Peter Lonard
13 16 Feb 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic -29 (64-65-64-66=259) 10 strokes Australia Stephen Leaney, Australia Andre Stolz
14 13 Jul 2003 Barclays Scottish Open -17 (64-67-67-69=267) 5 strokes Northern Ireland Darren Clarke, Wales Phillip Price
15 7 Sep 2003 Omega European Masters -17 (65-69-68-65=267) 6 strokes New Zealand Michael Campbell
16 8 Feb 2004 Heineken Classic -20 (60-66-68-74=268) 1 stroke Australia Adam Scott
17 3 Oct 2004 WGC-American Express Championship -18 (69-64-68-69=270) 1 stroke Denmark Thomas Bjørn
18 17 Oct 2004 HSBC World Match Play Championship 2&1 England Lee Westwood
19 6 Mar 2005 Dubai Desert Classic -19 (66-68-67-68=269) 1 stroke Wales Stephen Dodd,
Spain Miguel Ángel Jiménez
20 13 Mar 2005 Qatar Masters -12 (73-69-69-65=276) 1 stroke Sweden Henrik Stenson
21 1 May 2005 BMW Asian Open -26 (67-62-68-65=262) 13 strokes England Simon Wakefield
22 11 Dec 2005 Dunhill Championship -14 (71-67-68-68=274) 3 strokes South Africa Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa Charl Schwartzel
23 17 Dec 2006 South African Airways Open -24 (67-66-66-65=264) 3 strokes South Africa Trevor Immelman
24 14 Oct 2007 HSBC World Match Play Championship 6&4 Argentina Ángel Cabrera
25 14 Mar 2010 WGC-CA Championship -18 (68-66-70-66=270) 4 strokes South Africa Charl Schwartzel

Els's victories in the majors and WGC events count as wins on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour.

Sunshine Tour wins (15)

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)

Other wins (13)

Major championships

Wins (3)

Year Championship 54 Holes Winning Score Margin Runner(s)-up
1994 U.S. Open 2 shot lead -5 (69-71-66-73=279) Playoff 1 Scotland Colin Montgomerie, United States Loren Roberts
1997 U.S. Open (2) 2 shot deficit -4 (71-67-69-69=276) 1 stroke Scotland Colin Montgomerie
2002 The Open Championship 2 shot lead -6 (70-66-72-70=278) Playoff 2 Australia Stuart Appleby, Australia Steve Elkington, France Thomas Levet

1 Defeated Montgomerie in 18-hole playoff and Roberts in sudden death: Els (74-4-4), Roberts (74-4-5), Montgomerie (78)
2 Defeated Appleby and Elkington in 4-hole playoff and Levet in sudden death: Els (4-3-5-4-par), Appleby (4-3-5-5), Elkington (5-3-4-5), Levet (4-3-5-4-bogey)

Results timeline

Tournament 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The Masters DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T8 CUT T12 T17 T16 T27
U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP DNP T7 1 CUT T5 1 T49 CUT
The Open Championship CUT DNP DNP T5 T6 T24 T11 T2 T10 T29 T24
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP CUT CUT T25 T3 T61 T53 T21 CUT
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
The Masters 2 T6 T5 T6 2 47 T27 CUT CUT CUT
U.S. Open T2 T66 T24 T5 T9 T15 T26 T51 T14 CUT
The Open Championship T2 T3 1 T18 2 T34 3 T4 T7 T8
PGA Championship T34 T13 T34 T5 T4 DNP T16 3 T31 T6
Tournament 2010
The Masters T18
U.S. Open 3
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship

DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary

World Golf Championships

Wins (2)

Year Championship 54 Holes Winning Score Margin of Victory Runner(s)-up
2004 WGC-American Express Championship 2 strokes -18 (69-64-68-69=270) 1 stroke Denmark Thomas Bjørn
2010 WGC-CA Championship (2) Tied for lead -18 (68-66-70-66=270) 4 strokes South Africa Charl Schwartzel

Results timeline

Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Accenture Match Play Championship R64 R32 4 R32 R64 DNP DNP R64 R64 R64
CA Championship T40 WD NT1 T23 T12 1 DNP 5 T11 75
Bridgestone Invitational 5 T12 T8 T15 T17 T65 DNP T31 T22 T27
Tournament 2009 2010
Accenture Match Play Championship QF R32
CA Championship T20 1
Bridgestone Invitational T29
HSBC Champions 2

1Cancelled due to 9/11
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
WD = withdrew
NT = No Tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

PGA and European Tour career summary

PGA Tour European Tour
Season Wins (Majors) Earnings (US$) Rank Wins (Majors) Earnings Rank
1991 0 2,647 274 0 £2,357 -
1992 0 18,420 213 0 £66,626 75
1993 0 38,185 190 0 £162,827 34
1994 1 (1) 684,440 19 2 (1) £311,850 10
1995 1 842,590 14 1 £82,459 -
1996 1 906,944 14 0 £209,148 -
1997 2 (1) 1,243,008 9 2 (1) £359,421 -
1998 1 763,783 36 1 £433,884 8
1999 1 1,710,756 15 1 €588,360 12
2000 1 3,469,405 3 1 €2,017,248 3
2001 0 2,336,456 15 0 €1,716,287 4
2002 2 (1) 3,291,895 5 3 (1) €2,251,708 3
2003 2 3,371,237 9 4 €2,975,374 1
2004 3 5,787,225 2 3 €4,061,905 1
2005 0 1,627,184 47 3 €1,012,683 18
2006 0 2,326,220 28 1 €1,716,208 5
2007 0 2,705,715 20 2 €2,496,237 2
2008 1 2,537,290 20 0 €674,098 42
2009 0 2,147,157 36 0 €1,571,501 11
2010* 2 3,941,028 1 1 €1,647,112 2
Career* 18 (3) 39,751,585 6 25 (3) €25,016,909 1

* As of 20 June 2010

These figures are from the respective tour's official sites. Note that there is double counting of money earned (and wins) in the majors and World Golf Championships since they became official events on both tours.

Team appearances

Ernie Els pictured at the 2009 Presidents Cup.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ernie Els: Career Detail". PGATour.com. http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/65/22/career/1994.html. Retrieved 2007-11-07. 
  2. ↑ "Players who have reached the Top Ten in the Official World Golf Ranking since 1986" (PDF). European Tour Official Guide 09 (38th ed.). PGA European Tour. 2009. p. 558. http://www.europeantour.com/default.sps?pagegid={00387D2B-9D40-40B9-B2AC-C46939A8370B}. Retrieved 2009-01-16. 
  3. ↑ Week 11 - Ernie Els Wins WGC-CA Championship To Jump To World Number Eight While The Puerto Rico Open Goes To A Monday Finish - Official World Golf Ranking, 15 March 2010
  4. ↑ Ernie Els speaks out over son's autism, The Daily Telegraph, March 11, 2008
  5. ↑ PGA, Els Family Tee Up to Raise Awareness, Autism Speaks, e-Speaks, May 2, 2008
  6. ↑ Els has 3-year plan to catch Woods as world's No. 1
  7. ↑ "Els gets first win in two years". ESPN. 2010-03-14. http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4995357. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 
  8. ↑ "Ernie Els completes Arnold Palmer Invitational victory". BBC Sport. 2010-03-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/8592134.stm. Retrieved 2010-03-29. 
  9. ↑ "Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson can't grasp U.S. Open win with Tiger Woods struggling at Pebble Beach". NY Daily News. 2010-6-21. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2010/06/21/2010-06-21_mickelson_els_fail_to_close_deal_at_open.html. Retrieved 2010-06-21. 
  10. ↑ http://www.durratbahrain.com/en/explore/golf-course/golf.html
  11. ↑ "Liezl Els Committed to Autism Awareness". PGA TOUR Charities. 2010-03-11. http://together.pgatour.com/stories/liezl-els-committed-to-autism-awareness.html. Retrieved 2010-03-16. 
  12. ↑ The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations, ed. Jim Apfelbaum. 2007.
  13. ↑ http://content.usatoday.com/topics/quote/People/Athletes/Golf/Ernie+Els/09gvcjm3mrarV/0bSTcXb8HMgeq/2

External links

World Number ones since 1986

Seve Ballesteros | Fred Couples | David Duval | Ernie Els | Nick Faldo | Bernhard Langer | Tom Lehman | Greg Norman | Nick Price | Vijay Singh | Lee Westwood* | Tiger Woods | Ian Woosnam 

*Lee Westwood (ENG) is the current World No. 1.
PGA Tour Rookies of the Year
1990 Robert Gamez · 1991 John Daly‡ · 1992 Mark Carnevale · 1993 Vijay Singh† · 1994 Ernie Els‡ · 1995 Woody Austin · 1996 Tiger Woods†∞ · 1997 Stewart Cink† · 1998 Steve Flesch · 1999 Carlos Franco · 2000 Michael Clark II · 2001 Charles Howell III · 2002 Jonathan Byrd · 2003 Ben Curtis‡ · 2004 Todd Hamilton‡ · 2005 Sean O'Hair · 2006 Trevor Immelman† · 2007 Brandt Snedeker · 2008 Andrés Romero · 2009 Marc Leishman · 2010 Rickie Fowler
‡ indicates won major in the year the golfer won award † indicates won major sometime in their respective golfing careers
∞ indicates won all four majors in the golfers career
European Tour Order of Merit winners
1971 Peter Oosterhuis • 1972 Peter Oosterhuis • 1973 Peter Oosterhuis • 1974 Peter Oosterhuis • 1975 Dale Hayes • 1976 Seve Ballesteros • 1977 Seve Ballesteros • 1978 Seve Ballesteros • 1979 Sandy Lyle • 1980 Sandy Lyle • 1981 Bernhard Langer • 1982 Greg Norman • 1983 Nick Faldo • 1984 Bernhard Langer • 1985 Sandy Lyle • 1986 Seve Ballesteros • 1987 Ian Woosnam • 1988 Seve Ballesteros • 1989 Ronan Rafferty • 1990 Ian Woosnam • 1991 Seve Ballesteros • 1992 Nick Faldo • 1993 Colin Montgomerie • 1994 Colin Montgomerie • 1995 Colin Montgomerie • 1996 Colin Montgomerie • 1997 Colin Montgomerie • 1998 Colin Montgomerie • 1999 Colin Montgomerie • 2000 Lee Westwood • 2001 Retief Goosen • 2002 Retief Goosen • 2003 Ernie Els • 2004 Ernie Els • 2005 Colin Montgomerie • 2006 Pádraig Harrington • 2007 Justin Rose • 2008 Robert Karlsson • 2009 Lee Westwood • 2010 Martin Kaymer
European Tour Golfer of the Year
1985 Bernhard Langer • 1986 Seve Ballesteros • 1987 Ian Woosnam • 1988 Seve Ballesteros • 1989 Nick Faldo • 1990 Nick Faldo • 1991 Seve Ballesteros • 1992 Nick Faldo • 1993 Bernhard Langer • 1994 Ernie Els • 1995 Colin Montgomerie • 1996 Colin Montgomerie • 1997 Colin Montgomerie • 1998 Lee Westwood • 1999 Colin Montgomerie • 2000 Lee Westwood • 2001 Retief Goosen • 2002 Ernie Els • 2003 Ernie Els • 2004 Vijay Singh • 2005 Michael Campbell • 2006 Paul Casey • 2007 Pádraig Harrington • 2008 Pádraig Harrington • 2009 Lee Westwood • 2010 Martin Kaymer & Graeme McDowell (shared)