Ernie Els

Theodore Ernest (Ernie) Els (born October 17, 1969) is a South African golfer who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. He is known as "The Big Easy" for his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing.

Professional career

Els turned professional at the end of 1989, and won his first professional tournament in 1991 on the Southern Africa Tour (today the Sunshine Tour).

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Among his numerous victories since are three majors. He won the US Open in 1994 and in 1997, and topped it with the British Open in 2002.

Related Topics:
Majors - US Open - 1994 - 1997 - British Open - 2002

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Other highlights in Ernie's career include topping the 2003 and 2004 PGA European Tour Order of Merit (money list) and winning the World Matchplay Championship a record six times. He has led the official world golf rankings and is consistently ranked in the top five.

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Els topped the PGA European Tour order of merit in 2003 and 2004, in which year he was voted 37th in the Top 100 Great South Africans ( see List of South Africans).

Related Topics:
PGA European Tour - List of South Africans

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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 South Africa). He says his travel schedule is in recognition of the global nature of golf, but it has caused some friction with the PGA TOUR, who would prefer him to play more tournaments in the USA. In late 2004 the director of the PGA Tour wrote to him to ask him to do so in quite firm language, but Els publicised and rejected this request. The PGA Tour's attitude caused considerable offence in the golfing world outside of North America.

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When not playing, Els 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.

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