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Ernie Els driving on hole 5 during 2008 U.S. Open. Photo by S.D Dirk

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Ernie Els

 Ernie Els is South African professional Golfer. He was born 1969 and grew up in Lambton, Germiston, South Africa. At the age of 8 Ernie played rugby, cricket and tennis.  He was skilled junior tennis player; Ernie Els won the Eastern Transvaal Junior Championship at the age 13.

 He learnt playing from his father Neel. His father was a trucking executive at the Germiston Golf Course. Later he was playing better than his father. At the age of 14 Ernie was a scratch handicap. He then decides to focus exclusively on golf.

Ernie was known as 鈥淭he Big Easy鈥� due to hid imposing physical stature. He stands 6ft 3in along with his fluid golf swing. He has more than 70 career victories. They are the four major championship in the U.S. open in 1994 at Oakmont and the 1997 at congressional and the open championship in 2002. Also including the 2012 royal lytham and St Anne鈥檚

Ernie married his wife Liezl 1998 in Cape Town. They have two children. He has golf course design business and a charitable foundation that supports golf among the underprivileged youth in South Africa. Ernie has also a wine making business.

Here are amazing facts about Ernie Els

1.     Ernie was the youngest winner to win the South African Amateur

At the age of 17 Els won the South African Amateur. Hence becoming the youngest winner of the event. He also had a breaking record which has been held by Gary Player. Before that Ernie had achieved his prominence when he won the junior World Golf championship in the boys 13-14 category.

2. Ernie first member of the tour to earn over 鈧�25,000,000 from European Tour events

Ernie Els photo by Billy

Ernie’s career was topping in 2003and 2004 in the European Tour Order of Merits. He was wining the World Match Play Championship. It is a record of seven times.

He had a leading career money winner on the European Tour. Though he was overtaken by Lee Westwood in 2011. Ernie was the first member of the tour to earn over 鈧�25,000,000 from European Tour event.

3. He has more than 70 victories in his career 

He had  won 4 major championship, 2Wold Golf Championships and 13 Other PGA Tours.

Ernie won his first professional tournament in 1991 on the Southern Africa Tour. Also in the 1991/92 and 1994/95 seasons, he  won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit. And in 1993, Els won his first tournament outside of South Africa at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan.

Els won his first major championship at the U.S. Open in 1994. In 1997 he made his second winning the U.S. Open was at Congressional country club. He also won his fourth World Match Play title, along with his third Nedbank Challenge in the last four years, dominating a world-class field and winning by 8 shots.

4. Ernie Els won the 2012 Open Championship

Ernie Els driving on hole 5 during 2008 U.S. Open. Photo by S.D Dirk

He surprised the golfing world when he won the 2012 Open championships with a birding of 72nd hole. Ernie became the 8th player to win the major tournament in 3 different decades.

In 2013 he  won for the first since the 2012 Open Championship at the BMW international Open in Munich Germany. Ernie claimed a wire to wire victory with one stroke win. He move up to 14 the from 20th in the world rankings after the win.

5. Ernie is one of six golfers to twice win both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship

He won his first U.S open championship in 1991 and 1997 made second win in the U.S open championship which was held at congressional country club. He also won twice the Open championship in 2012 and 2013.

6. He was  elected in World golf Hall of Fame 

Ernie Els at the Westchester Country Club during the 2004 Buick Classic photo by Antony

In 2010 Ernie was elected in World Golf Hall of Fame. It was on his first time on ballot and then later was inducted in 2011. World Golf Hall of Fame chief executive Jack Peter said one player was elected from the International ballot.

Ernie Els had received 66 percent of the vote from a panel of journalists, golf dignitaries and Hall of Fame members, 1 percent more than is required for election. He would have made it anyway through a clause that allows the player with the highest percentage to be elected, provided no one gets 65 percent and the player gets at least 50 percent.

  7.Ernie is the co- founder of an Athletic scholarship Agency

He is co- founder of An Athletic Scholarship Agency called the ASM scholarships. 2018. The Company is a college recruiting services that normally works with the athletes worldwide from different sports. It helps the athletes secure the athletic scholarship to American universities with the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA.

The company is owned by ASM sports group. It was built purposely for athletes from high school to college then professional sports or a career in sporting jobs. The company has helped over1000 athlete secure sports scholarship

8. Ernie Els launched an annual charity Golf event for Autism Pro-Am

Ernie Els photo by Billy

 Since Ernie鈥檚 son was diagnosis with Autism Els and his wife have been on active charities devoting to that condition. In 2009 Ernie launched an annual charity golf event. It was held at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens. The first event featured many PGA Tour and champions Tour Golfers. They raised $725000

Els and his wife also established The Els Center of Excellence. It began as a drive to build new campus for the aforementioned school in Jupiter in Florida.

9.Ernie Els joined the PGA Tours Champions

After Ernie’s 50 th birthday in 2020 he joined the PGA Tours Champions. He had a shot of 72-65-65 to tie for the lead of his first PGA tour champions events.

He also won the Hoag classic in Newport Beach California. Ernie finished with 4 – under par 67 to finish 54 holes in 16 under par. He had two  strokes ahead of Fred Couples, Robert Karisson and Glen Day. It was Els third start on the PGA Tours Champions.

10  He has business ventures

Ernie Els, South African golfer photo by peter

When Ernie is not playing golf , he has other business venture that he does. Ernie Els has golf course design business and a charitable foundation. The foundation supports golf and underprivileged youth in south Africa.

He also has a winemaking business. Ernie Els’s Wines has just released its latest vintage of the multi-award winning Ernie Els Signature 2015. This iconic Bordeaux-style blend is a powerful wine with aromas of ripe black fruits, violets, tobacco and a touch of leather. All of the grapes are sourced from the Ernie Els Wines vineyards in Stellenbosch and each variety is matured separately in oak before final blending