Ernie Els
| Ernie Els | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
Els in 2009
|
|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Theodore Ernest Els |
| Nickname | The Big Easy |
| Born |
17 October 1969 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st) |
| Nationality |
 South Africa
|
| Residence |
Wentworth, England, UK; George, Western Cape, South Africa; Jupiter, Florida, USA |
| Spouse | Liezl (m. 1998) |
| Children | Samantha, Ben |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1989 |
| Current tour(s) |
European Tour (joined 1992) PGA Tour (joined 1994) |
| Professional wins | 71 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 19 |
| European Tour | 28 (7th all time) |
| Japan Golf Tour | 1 |
| Sunshine Tour | 16 (T7th all time) |
| Other | 19 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 4) |
|
| Masters Tournament | 2nd: 2000, 2004 |
| U.S. Open | Won: 1994, 1997 |
| The Open Championship | Won: 2002, 2012 |
| PGA Championship | 3rd/T3: 1995, 2007 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 2011 (member page) |
| 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 |
| Payne Stewart Award | 2015 |
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els (/ˈɛls/; born 17 October 1969) is a South African professional golfer. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature (he stands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)) along with his fluid golf swing. Among his 71 career victories are four major championships: the U.S. Open in 1994 at Oakmont and in 1997 at Congressional, and The Open Championship in 2002 at Muirfield and in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He is one of six golfers to twice win both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.
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 was the leading career money winner on the European Tour until overtaken by Lee Westwood in 2011, and was the first member of the tour to earn over 25 million Euros from European Tour events. He has held the number one spot in the Official World Golf Ranking and until 2013 held the record for weeks ranked in the top ten with 788. Els rose to 15th in the world rankings after winning the 2012 Open Championship. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2010, on his first time on the ballot, and was inducted in May 2011.
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