Ernie Els

Johannesburg, South Africa

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. A former World No. 1, he is known as “The Big Easy”, for his imposing physical stature (he stands 1.90 metres) along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing.

Growing up just east of Johannesburg in Kempton Park, South Africa, he played rugby union, cricket, tennis, and, starting at age 8, golf. Els learned the game of golf at the Kempton Park Country Club where he started carrying for his father, Neels. By the age of 14 he was a scratch handicap and it was around this time that he decided to focus exclusively on golf.

Among Els’ numerous victories are three major championships: Els won the U.S. Open in 1994 at the Oakmont Country Club and 1997 (this time at the Congressional Country Club), and the The Open Championship in 2002.

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 has been consistently ranked in the top five. He has been in the top ten for over 700 weeks; nobody has been in the top ten longer. In 2003 he was voted 37th on the SABC3’s Great South Africans. He won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit in the 1991/92 and 1994/95 seasons.

On March 2, 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.

On April 8, 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.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Ernie Els”.

Results

DATES TOURNAMENT POSITION SCORE ROUNDS
29 Oct - 01 Nov 2009 Singapore Open T14 -4 67 - 69 - 72 - 72
01 - 04 Oct 2009 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship T26 -10 72 - 72 - 66 - 68
24 - 27 Sep 2009 PGA Tour Championship 9 -1 71 - 66 - 71 - 71
10 - 13 Sep 2009 BMW Championship T38 +3 75 - 67 - 77 - 68
04 - 07 Sep 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship CUT +6 75 - 73
27 - 30 Aug 2009 The Barclays T2 -8 72 - 68 - 70 - 66
13 - 16 Aug 2009 US PGA Championship T6 -1 75 - 68 - 70 - 74
06 - 09 Aug 2009 Bridgestone Invitational T29 +1 71 - 72 - 70 - 68
16 - 19 Jul 2009 British Open T8 +1 69 - 72 - 72 - 68
09 - 12 Jul 2009 Scottish Open T28 -2 69
18 - 21 Jun 2009 US Open CUT +15 78 - 77
04 - 07 Jun 2009 the Memorial Tournament T8 -5 70 - 70 - 71 - 72
07 - 10 May 2009 The Players Championship T45 -3 73 - 69 - 73 - 74
23 - 26 Apr 2009 Ballantines Championship T4 -2 68 - 74 - 73 - 71
16 - 19 Apr 2009 Verizon Heritage T48 Ev 68 - 71 - 73 - 72
09 - 12 Apr 2009 US Masters CUT +2 75 - 71
02 - 05 Apr 2009 Shell Houston Open T14 -6 75 - 66 - 71 - 70
12 - 15 Mar 2009 CA Championship T20 -9 70 - 71 - 68 - 70
03 - 05 Mar 2009 The Honda Classic T22 -1 73 - 70 - 70 - 66
19 - 22 Feb 2009 Northern Trust Open T51 -3 71 - 67 - 73 - 70
29 Jan - 01 Feb 2009 Dubai Desert Classic CUT Ev 71 - 73
22 - 25 Jan 2009 Qatar Masters T31 -6 70 - 71 - 73 - 68
15 - 18 Jan 2009 Sony Open in Hawaii T39 -4 72 - 69 - 68 - 67
08 - 11 Jan 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship T6 -15 68 - 69 - 73 - 67
DATES TOURNAMENT POSITION SCORE ROUNDS
13 - 16 Nov 2008 Singapore Open T2 -6 66 - 70 - 71 - 71
02 - 05 Oct 2008 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship CUT +9 73 - 76 - 76
25 - 28 Sep 2008 PGA Tour Championship T6 Ev 68 - 73 - 70 - 69
04 - 07 Sep 2008 BMW Championship T17 -6 68 - 72 - 66 - 68
29 Aug - 01 Sep 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship T3 -14 66 - 65 - 69 - 70
21 - 24 Aug 2008 The Barclays CUT +2 71 - 73
07 - 10 Aug 2008 US PGA Championship T31 +11 71 - 75 - 70 - 75
31 Jul - 03 Aug 2008 Bridgestone Invitational T27 Ev 69 - 74 - 69 - 68
17 - 20 Jul 2008 British Open T7 +12 80 - 69 - 74 - 69
10 - 13 Jul 2008 Scottish Open T9 -7 72 - 66 - 70 - 69
12 - 15 Jun 2008 US Open T14 +5 70 - 72 - 74 - 73
29 May - 01 Jun 2008 the Memorial Tournament CUT +7 73 - 78
22 - 25 May 2008 BMW PGA Championship CUT +4 75 - 73
08 - 11 May 2008 The Players Championship T6 +1 72 - 71 - 74 - 72
17 - 20 Apr 2008 Verizon Heritage CUT +6 72 - 76
10 - 13 Apr 2008 US Masters CUT +4 74 - 74
20 - 23 Mar 2008 CA Championship 75 +8 74 - 75 - 73 - 74
06 - 09 Mar 2008 PODS Championship CUT +4 73 - 73
28 Feb - 02 Mar 2008 The Honda Classic 1 -6 67 - 70 - 70 - 67
07 - 10 Feb 2008 Emaar-MGF Indian Masters T6 -3 75 - 70 - 69 - 71
31 Jan - 03 Feb 2008 Dubai Desert Classic T3 -12 68 - 72 - 65 - 71
DATES TOURNAMENT POSITION SCORE ROUNDS
13 - 16 Dec 2007 South African Airways Open T16 +5 77 - 70 - 77 - 69
06 - 09 Dec 2007 Alfred Dunhill Championship T2 -12 70 - 69 - 64 - 73
29 Nov - 02 Dec 2007 Nedbank Golf Challenge 3 -11 69 - 67 - 69 - 72
08 - 11 Nov 2007 HSBC Champions Tournament T21 +1 75 - 69 - 70 - 75
04 - 07 Oct 2007 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship T6 -13 67 - 67 - 70 - 71
13 - 16 Sep 2007 PGA Tour Championship T26 Ev 69 - 69 - 73 - 69
06 - 09 Sep 2007 BMW Championship T18 -7 73 - 67 - 68 - 69
23 - 26 Aug 2007 The Barclays T4 -12 65 - 71 - 68 - 68
09 - 12 Aug 2007 US PGA Championship 3 -5 72 - 68 - 69 - 66
02 - 05 Aug 2007 Bridgestone Invitational T22 +7 70 - 77 - 72 - 68
19 - 22 Jul 2007 British Open T4 -5 72 - 70 - 68 - 69
12 - 15 Jul 2007 Scottish Open 3 -13 69 - 66 - 71 - 65
21 - 24 Jun 2007 BMW International Open T7 -9 67 - 71 - 74 - 67
14 - 17 Jun 2007 US Open T51 +21 73 - 76 - 74 - 78
31 May - 03 Jun 2007 the Memorial Tournament T15 -9 66 - 75 - 71 - 67
24 - 27 May 2007 BMW PGA Championship T24 -1 68 - 76 - 72 - 71
03 - 06 May 2007 Wachovia Championship 6 6
05 - 08 Apr 2007 US Masters CUT +10 78 - 76
01 - 04 Mar 2007 Johnnie Walker Classic T6 -8 73 - 70 - 67 - 70
15 - 18 Feb 2007 Nissan Open T3 -13 69 - 68 - 67 - 67
01 - 04 Feb 2007 Dubai Desert Classic 2 -18 66 - 65 - 68 - 71
25 - 28 Jan 2007 Qatar Masters 3 -13 69 - 71 - 68 - 67
DATES TOURNAMENT POSITION SCORE ROUNDS
14 - 17 Dec 2006 South African Airways Open 1 -24 67 - 66 - 66 - 65
07 - 10 Dec 2006 Alfred Dunhill Championship T8 -6 72 - 72 - 69 - 69
02 - 05 Nov 2006 PGA Tour Championship T10 +1 71 - 72 - 66 - 72
26 - 29 Oct 2006 Chrysler Championship T6 -7 69 - 66 - 70 - 72
24 - 27 Aug 2006 Bridgestone Invitational T31 +3 68 - 67 - 70 - 78
17 - 20 Aug 2006 US PGA Championship T16 -6 71 - 70 - 72 - 69
13 - 16 Jul 2006 Scottish Open T9 -9 70 - 69 - 67 - 69
15 - 18 Jun 2006 US Open T26 +13 74 - 73 - 74 - 72
01 - 04 Jun 2006 the Memorial Tournament T68 +10 74 - 70 - 73 - 81
25 - 28 May 2006 BMW Championship T19 -4 69 - 74 - 69 - 72
11 - 14 May 2006 EDS Byron Nelson Championship T13 -6 68 - 69 - 69 - 68
04 - 07 May 2006 Wachovia Championship T38 +3 71 - 71 - 75 - 74
13 - 16 Apr 2006 Verizon Heritage T7 -10 71 - 67 - 65 - 71
06 - 09 Apr 2006 US Masters T27 +4 71 - 71 - 74 - 76
23 - 26 Mar 2006 The Players Championship T8 -3 72 - 70 - 72 - 71
16 - 19 Mar 2006 Bay Hill Invitational T54 +1 67 - 73 - 74 - 75
02 - 05 Mar 2006 Ford Championship at Doral T7 -13 72 - 65 - 69 - 69
16 - 19 Feb 2006 Nissan Open T23 -4 70 - 72 - 71 - 67
02 - 05 Feb 2006 Dubai Desert Classic 2 -19 68 - 66 - 68 - 67
26 - 29 Jan 2006 Qatar Masters T13 -5 71 - 71 - 69 - 72
DATES TOURNAMENT POSITION SCORE ROUNDS
15 - 18 Dec 2005 South African Airways Open 2 -9 76 - 70 - 69 - 68
08 - 11 Dec 2005 dunhill Championship 1 -14 71 - 67 - 68 - 68
14 - 17 Jul 2005 British Open T34 -2 74 - 67 - 75 - 70
07 - 10 Jul 2005 Scottish Open 11 -13 70 - 66 - 67 - 68
16 - 19 Jun 2005 US Open T15 +9 71 - 76 - 72 - 70
09 - 12 Jun 2005 Booz Allen Classic T7 -8 69 - 67 - 68 - 72
02 - 05 Jun 2005 the Memorial Tournament T45 Ev 73 - 71 - 72 - 72
26 - 29 May 2005 BMW Championship T39 Ev 73 - 69 - 75 - 71
12 - 15 May 2005 EDS Byron Nelson Championship T10 -9 64 - 72 - 69 - 66
28 Apr - 01 May 2005 BMW Asian Open 1 -26 67 - 62 - 68 - 65
21 - 24 Apr 2005 Johnnie Walker Classic T6 -12 71 - 67 - 69 - 69
07 - 10 Apr 2005 US Masters 47 +10 75 - 73 - 78 - 72
24 - 27 Mar 2005 The Players Championship T17 -3 71 - 71 - 74 - 69
17 - 20 Mar 2005 Bay Hill Invitational T23 -1 71 - 77 - 69 - 70
10 - 13 Mar 2005 Qatar Masters 1 -12 73 - 69 - 69 - 65
03 - 06 Mar 2005 Dubai Desert Classic 1 -19 66 - 68 - 67 - 68
03 - 06 Feb 2005 Heineken Classic 5 -12 72 - 64 - 66 - 70
20 - 23 Jan 2005 Buick Invitational T6 -10 65 - 71 - 71 - 71
13 - 16 Jan 2005 Sony Open in Hawaii 2 -10 71 - 67 - 70 - 62
06 - 09 Jan 2005 Mercedes Championships T3 -19 69 - 65 - 68 - 71
DATES TOURNAMENT POSITION SCORE ROUNDS
09 - 12 Dec 2004 dunhill Championship T3 -6 67 - 75 - 70 - 70
04 - 07 Nov 2004 PGA Tour Championship T10 -2 72 - 71 - 68 - 67
21 - 24 Oct 2004 Bridgestone Open 2 -10 69 - 69 - 68 - 68
07 - 10 Oct 2004 dunhill links championship T7 -14 68 - 68 - 68 - 70
30 Sep - 03 Oct 2004 American Express Championship 1 -18 69 - 64 - 68 - 69
02 - 05 Sep 2004 Omega European Masters 7 -11 69 - 67 - 66 - 71
19 - 22 Aug 2004 NEC Invitational T65 +13 72 - 77 - 72 - 72
12 - 15 Aug 2004 US PGA Championship T4 -7 66 - 70 - 72 - 73
15 - 18 Jul 2004 British Open 2 -10 69 - 69 - 68 - 68
08 - 11 Jul 2004 Scottish Open T3 -13 70 - 68 - 65 - 68
17 - 20 Jun 2004 US Open T9 +7 70 - 67 - 70 - 80
10 - 13 Jun 2004 Buick Classic T16 -5 68 - 69 - 72 - 70
03 - 06 Jun 2004 the Memorial Tournament 1 -18 68 - 70 - 66 - 66
27 - 30 May 2004 Volvo PGA Championship 7 -13 64 - 71 - 72 - 68
20 - 23 May 2004 Deutsche Bank - SAP Open TPC of Europe T5 -11 67 - 72 - 72 - 66
13 - 16 May 2004 EDS Byron Nelson Championship T7 -8 69 - 70 - 66 - 67
15 - 18 Apr 2004 MCI Heritage T3 -8 69 - 70 - 68 - 69
08 - 11 Apr 2004 US Masters 2 -8 70 - 72 - 71 - 67
25 - 28 Mar 2004 The Players Championship T26 -1 68 - 69 - 72 - 78
18 - 21 Mar 2004 Bay Hill Invitational CUT +1 73 - 72
04 - 07 Mar 2004 Dubai Desert Classic T3 -13 70 - 68 - 72 - 65
05 - 08 Feb 2004 Heineken Classic 1 -20 60 - 66 - 68 - 74
29 Jan - 01 Feb 2004 Johnnie Walker Classic T10 -13 70 - 67 - 69 - 69
15 - 18 Jan 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii 1 -18 67 - 64 - 66 - 65
08 - 11 Jan 2004 Mercedes Championships T21 -4 73 - 70 - 73 - 72
DATES TOURNAMENT POSITION SCORE ROUNDS
06 - 09 Nov 2003 PGA Tour Championship 17 -3 70 - 69 - 73 - 69
30 Oct - 02 Nov 2003 Chrysler Championship T34 +1 70 - 74 - 70 - 71
02 - 05 Oct 2003 American Express Championship T12 +3 71 - 74 - 71 - 67
25 - 28 Sep 2003 dunhill links championship 2 -20 72 - 65 - 67 - 64
04 - 07 Sep 2003 Omega European Masters 1 -17 65 - 69 - 68 - 65
28 - 31 Aug 2003 BMW International Open T17 -11 68 - 71 - 74 - 64
21 - 24 Aug 2003 NEC Invitational T17 -1 67 - 70 - 71 - 71
14 - 17 Aug 2003 US PGA Championship T5 +2 71 - 70 - 70 - 71
17 - 20 Jul 2003 British Open T18 +6 78 - 68 - 72 - 72
10 - 13 Jul 2003 Scottish Open 1 -17 64 - 67 - 67 - 69
19 - 22 Jun 2003 Buick Classic T11 -8 68 - 71 - 68 - 69
12 - 15 Jun 2003 US Open T5 Ev 69 - 70 - 69 - 72
29 May - 01 Jun 2003 the Memorial Tournament T13 -2 73 - 70 - 70 - 73
22 - 25 May 2003 Volvo PGA Championship 4 -14 69 - 69 - 67 - 69
24 - 27 Apr 2003 Shell Houston Open T17 -10 69 - 69 - 69 - 71
17 - 20 Apr 2003 MCI Heritage T10 -10 69 - 66 - 70 - 69
10 - 13 Apr 2003 US Masters T6 -1 79 - 66 - 72 - 70
20 - 23 Mar 2003 Bay Hill Invitational T38 Ev 74 - 65 - 72 - 77
06 - 09 Mar 2003 Dubai Desert Classic 2 -16 66 - 68 - 69 - 69
13 - 16 Feb 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic 1 -29 64 - 65 - 64 - 66
30 Jan - 02 Feb 2003 Heineken Classic 1 -15 70 - 72 - 66 - 65
23 - 26 Jan 2003 Singapore Masters 2 -9 69 - 67 - 70 - 73
16 - 19 Jan 2003 Sony Open in Hawaii 1 -16 66 - 65 - 66 - 67
09 - 12 Jan 2003 Mercedes Championships 1 -31 64 - 65 - 65 - 67
DATES TOURNAMENT POSITION SCORE ROUNDS
31 Oct - 03 Nov 2002 PGA Tour Championship T9 -3 73 - 70 - 67 - 67
03 - 06 Oct 2002 dunhill links championship WD - 72 - 67 - 72 - 0
19 - 22 Sep 2002 American Express Championship T23 -11 68 - 67 - 72 - 70
12 - 15 Sep 2002 Linde German Masters T23 -11 69 - 70 - 68 - 70
05 - 08 Sep 2002 Omega European Masters T23 -3 70 - 71 - 66 - 74
22 - 25 Aug 2002 NEC Invitational T15 -5 71 - 67 - 67 - 74
15 - 18 Aug 2002 US PGA Championship T32 +6 72 - 71 - 75 - 76
18 - 21 Jul 2002 British Open 1 -6 70 - 66 - 72 - 70
11 - 14 Jul 2002 Scottish Open T50 -1 68 - 74 - 69 - 72
20 - 23 Jun 2002 Greater Hartford Open T10 -8 69 - 70 - 69 - 64
13 - 16 Jun 2002 US Open T24 +11 73 - 74 - 70 - 74
06 - 09 Jun 2002 Buick Classic T33 -2 68 - 69 - 71 - 74
23 - 26 May 2002 Memorial Tournament T13 -9 70 - 71 - 69 - 69
09 - 12 May 2002 Verizon Byron Nelson Classic T4 -8 69 - 70 - 64 - 69
02 - 05 May 2002 Compaq Classic of New Orleans CUT +4 75 - 73
18 - 21 Apr 2002 Worldcom Classic - The Heritage of Golf T19 -6 71 - 67 - 73 - 67
11 - 14 Apr 2002 US Masters T5 -6 70 - 67 - 72 - 73
21 - 24 Mar 2002 The Players Championship T44 +4 76 - 69 - 79 - 68
14 - 17 Mar 2002 Bay Hill Invitational T9 -6 70 - 67 - 72 - 73
07 - 10 Mar 2002 Dubai Desert Classic 1 -16 68 - 68 - 67 - 69
28 Feb - 03 Mar 2002 Genuity Championship 1 -17 66 - 67 - 66 - 72
31 Jan - 03 Feb 2002 Heineken Classic 1 -17 64 - 69 - 69 - 69
24 - 27 Jan 2002 Johnnie Walker Classic 4 -2 72 - 71 - 71 - 72
17 - 20 Jan 2002 Alfred Dunhill Championship 9 -15 68 - 72 - 63 - 70
10 - 13 Jan 2002 South African Open T13 -9 73 - 69 - 68 - 69
DATES TOURNAMENT POSITION SCORE ROUNDS
01 - 04 Nov 2001 PGA Tour Championship T2 -14 69 - 68 - 65 - 68
18 - 21 Oct 2001 dunhill links championship 2 +11 65 - 70 - 68 - 68
06 - 09 Sep 2001 Omega European Masters T16 -4 71 - 72 - 68 - 69
23 - 26 Aug 2001 NEC Invitational T8 -5 67 - 70 - 66 - 72
16 - 19 Aug 2001 US PGA Championship T13 -4 67 - 67 - 70 - 72
26 - 29 Jul 2001 TNT Open T12 -7 68 - 70 - 75 - 64
19 - 22 Jul 2001 British Open T3 -6 71 - 71 - 67 - 69
14 - 17 Jun 2001 US Open T66 +14 71 - 74 - 77 - 72
31 May - 03 Jun 2001 Memorial Tournament T63 +8 69 - 75 - 75 - 77
17 - 20 May 2001 SAP Open TPC of Europe T28 -8 66 - 71 - 72 - 71
10 - 13 May 2001 Verizon Byron Nelson Classic CUT +5 75 - 70
03 - 06 May 2001 Compaq Classic of New Orleans 3 -19 67 - 69 - 65 - 68
05 - 08 Apr 2001 US Masters T6 -9 71 - 68 - 68 - 72
29 Mar - 01 Apr 2001 BellSouth Classic 44 +7 74 - 67 - 81 - 73
22 - 25 Mar 2001 The Players Championship CUT +7 76 - 75
15 - 18 Mar 2001 Bay Hill Invitational T62 +4 73 - 70 - 74 - 75
01 - 04 Mar 2001 Genuity Championship T25 -6 66 - 71 - 72 - 73
25 - 28 Jan 2001 Phoenix Open CUT -1 69 - 72
18 - 21 Jan 2001 Sony Open in Hawaii 3 -13 68 - 65 - 65 - 69
11 - 14 Jan 2001 Mercedes Championships T3 -16 68 - 66 - 73 - 69

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