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Great Athletes

Ernie Els

by Valerie Brown

Sport: Golf

Early Life

Ernie Els was born Theodore Ernest Els in Johannesburg, South Africa, and grew up in Kempton Park. His parents had two other children, Dirk and Carina. Ernie attended Delville Primary School and Jan De Klerk High School. His parents, Cornelius “Neels” and Hester Els, encouraged their children to participate in a variety of sports. At the age of four, Ernie started joining his father and brother on the golf course and began to caddy for them shortly thereafter. Ernie’s first golf club was Kempton Park Golf Club. Early on, Ernie was active in tennis, rugby, cricket, and golf. A natural athlete, Ernie excelled in most sports and even won the tennis Eastern Transvaal Junior Championship at the age of thirteen. By the age of fourteen, he had decided to make golf his main focus. Gaining dominance did not take long: He won the 1984 Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, California, beating future golf star Phil Mickelson in the age 13-14 category.

Ernie Els teeing off at the 2008 Singapore Open.

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(Vivek Prakash/Reuters/Landov)

The Road to Excellence

After winning the Junior World Golf Championships, Ernie enjoyed success on the amateur circuit. His other notable amateur wins included the 1986 South African Boys Golf Championship, the 1986 South African Amateur Golf Championship, and the 1989 South African Stroke Play Championship. Ernie turned professional in 1989. For a couple of years, he played well but did not win any big tournaments. In 1990, he began working with well-known swing coach David Leadbetter. In 1991, Ernie had a professional win on the Southern Africa Tour (now Sunshine Tour); two years later, he won the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan. In 1994, golf fans took notice, as Ernie won his first major championship at the U.S. Open, defeating Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts in sudden death.

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The Emerging Champion

Following his U.S. Open win, Ernie began to establish himself as an international player. He obtained the fitting nickname “the Big Easy” because of his physical size—6 feet 3 inches—his graceful swing, and his easygoing manner on the golf course. Unlike many golfers in the PGA, Ernie enjoyed playing tournaments not sponsored by the organization. He continued to win tournaments, too, including the Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour, the World Match Play Championship twice, the Byron Nelson Classic, and the South African Open. In 1996, Ernie beat Vijay Singh to secure his third consecutive World Match Play Championship win, a feat unmatched by any other golfer.

Ernie established his position in golf history when he won his second major at the 1997 U.S. Open. Throughout the next few years, he added several other big victories to his list, including the Buick Invitational and the Johnnie Walker Classic. Following these wins, Ernie finished second in three majors—the British Open, The Masters, and the U.S. Open. In 2000, the European Tour honored Ernie with a lifetime membership because of his successful career. However, both 2000 and 2001 were disappointing years for Ernie because he could not produce a significant triumph.

Following those two lean years, Ernie made a stellar comeback in 2002, with a big win over Tiger Woods in the Genuity Championship and his triumph in the British Open. The success in the British Open came after a tight four-man playoff during a period of time when Ernie had been criticized for lack of mental stamina. Also in 2002, Ernie won his fourth World Match Play Championship.

The next couple of years, Ernie built upon the successes of 2002. He earned his first European Tour Order of Merit and won two more World Match Play Championships in 2003 and 2004. He finished in the top twenty in all four majors of 2003. In 2004, he had sixteen finishes in the top ten and earned another European Tour Order of Merit.

Continuing the Story

In the latter half of the 2000’s, Ernie became a member of golf’s unofficial “Big Five,” which included top money earners Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, and Phil Mickelson. Ernie held his own among the top five despite a knee injury in 2005.

In 2007, Ernie announced that he had a three-year plan to finally beat Tiger Woods, a task that had been important to the South African golfer since he finished second to Woods more times than any other golfer. In the same year, Ernie’s earned a record seventh World Match Play Championship.

In 2008, Ernie continued to be competitive, winning the Honda Classic in March. He also contributed articles to Golf Digest and tweaked his own game as his career matured. In April of 2008, he announced a change in swing coaches, from the legendary David Leadbetter to Butch Harmon. Furthermore, in 2008, Ernie began his public support of autism research because his son was diagnosed with the disorder.

Summary

Beginning in the 1990’s, Ernie Els became one of golf’s toughest competitors. He possessed a positive public image as a calm, easy-going golfer with great finesse. Ernie’s three major victories and record seven World Match Play Championships became his career highlights. He made societal contributions through his charitable organization, the Fancourt Foundation, which benefits underprivileged South African children. He also designed golf courses and started a well-respected wine-making company.

Additional Sources

1 

Els, Ernie. How to Build a Classic Golf Swing. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.

2 

Els, Ernie, and David Herman. Ernie Els’ Guide to Golf Fitness: Take Strokes off Your Game and Add Yards to Your Drive. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000.

3 

Shipnuck, Alan. “Shot to the Top.” Sports Illustrated, June 30, 1997.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Brown, Valerie. "Ernie Els." Great Athletes,Salem Press, 2009. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Athletes_1721.
APA 7th
Brown, V. (2009). Ernie Els. Great Athletes. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Brown, Valerie. "Ernie Els." Great Athletes. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2009. Accessed December 14, 2025. online.salempress.com.