Ernie Els

With arguably the most coveted swing in modern golf, Ernie Els has established himself as a consistent competitor. On the heels of a disappointing 2005 in the majors Els has retooled his bag and his swing in hopes of improving in 2006. His quiet nature, easy smile, and fluid swing give off an aura of class and humility that makes people miss him when he’s gone.

Born on October 17th, 1969 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Els grew up playing rugby, cricket, tennis, and golf. He excelled at tennis, winning the Easter Transvaal Junior Championships at age 13, but decided only a year later that he would give all of his attention to golf, which he had taken up at age 9. Els played well as a junior, winning the Junior World Golf Championship over Phil Mickelson by several strokes in the 13-14 category. This was the same year Tiger Woods won in the 9-10 age bracket.

Els honed his swing in South Africa and further with swing coach David Leadbetter. His height, frame, and natural rhythm all contribute to a very fluid motion. Every golf could learn a lot watching Ernie Els swing a club. He rhythm alone ensures that he’ll be a good striker of the ball. Add to that his tremendous club lag, position at impact, strong release and Els is pretty long off the tee.

Els’ averaged 298 yards off the tee in 2004 and was about four yards longer before injury took him out in 2005. He has never been extremely accurate off the tee, surprisingly for a two-time U.S. Open winner hitting the fairway only 55.5% of the time. He has a 1.740 putting average which was good enough for 9th in 2004. His scoring average of 68.98 was second and he was first in approaches from 200 yards in 2004. Taken as a whole his stats and rank confirm that he has one of the most solid games in the world.

The significant interruption in 2005 was Ernie Els’ knee injury that took him completely out of action for the remainder of the season. At the time of his injury he was the third ranked player in the world but has naturally dropped back a bit as a result. He is currently 5th behind Woods, Singh, Mickelson, and Goosen even though he missed every event from late July through the end of the season.

As he has rehabilitated from surgery Els has also taken stock of his equipment needs. He has been endorsed by Titleist golf since a five-year deal was struck on January 1, 2003. Els said this in a recent interview:

I’ve got the new, larger prototype driver, which I’m hitting nice. I’m also playing new prototype Forged 695MB irons right now and they feel great. They look great, too. I’ve got Bob Vokey’s wedges in my bag and a Cameron putter, too, which is new. I also have a new 503H utility iron and I play the Pro V1x golf ball. I’m looking forward to playing with all my new stuff.

The breakdown on Ernie’s clubs means this: He is playing almost a complete bag of prototype Titleist clubs: The 460cc 905R driver, 695MB irons, 503H utility club, and a 36″ Scotty Cameron Newport 2 (an inch longer than before). His forced layoff was the perfect time to make some equipment changes. He is certainly no stranger to change as Stacy Solomon reported in June that Ernie was replacing his iron shafts and upgrading his personal jet to a Gulfstream V. Wouldn’t you if you could shave 4 hours off of a 13 hour flight? Els found in a session with Scotty Cameron that he was too hunched over his putter promoting an out-to-out putting stroke. The lengthened putter has enabled him to have a more barn-door stroke. We’ll have to see what impact, if any, is most recent changes have on his 2006 season.

Els has been pretty successful in his years as a professional. He’s won two U.S. Opens (1994, 1997) and one British Open (2002). Not counting his three victories his majors stats are impressive. He has finished in the top-ten 20 times, the top-5 13 times and second place 6-times. Almost every year since 1989 you could count on Els playing in the final group on Sunday. Els two worst years at the majors came in 1999 where he missed two cuts and only managed a T24 at the British Open and 2005 when his best finish was T15 behind winner Michael Campbell and other notables. He had hoped for a better showing at the PGA Championship before hi sustained the injury.

Els has 15 wins on the PGA Tour dating back to his first win which came at the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. He won the Open in a 3-man playoff with Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts that lasted an astounding 20 holes. Montgomerie shot a 78 on the 18-hole playoff and Roberts was eliminated on the second hole of sudden death. Added to his PGA Tour wins are 19 on the European Tour and 20 victories internationally.

His success around the world and lack of involvement in the United States has irked PGA Tour officials. Els hasn’t agreed with PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem’s demand that he play more PGA events. Just a year ago Els received a letter from the from the PGA Tour demanding that he make more appearances to retain his PGA Tour membership. Els said, “There’s a world outside America and I’m part of it. They can’t restrict me from playing where I want to play.” Following Els’ comments to the press, Tim Finchem said, “He’s playing enough to satisfy his membership requirements on the PGA Tour.” Flip flop? I like the fact that Els didn’t back down in the face of restrictions. He said, “Don’t start putting a padlock around me because that’s not going to work.”

What may not be good for PGA Tour pocketbooks is good for international golf. He has made a point of playing in events all over the world and centering much of his attention on the European Tour. He likes travel and wouldn’t want to restrict himself to a full schedule in the United States as he wouldn’t be close to his home in Wentworth, England, the culture, and sporting events he enjoys. It is certain that Els’ lack of involvement at this years Presidents Cup made an impact on the outcome. Els belongs to the world and he wants to keep it that way.

Many are wondering how Els will rebound from his knee injury. He recently said, “I’m not yet hitting it quite as far as I did last year, but that’s to be expected. It’ll come back. In my first practice round here at Sun City I birdied the 1st hole, hitting a driver, 9-iron approach, and draining a 20-foot putt. That made me smile!”

As strange as it may seem I think that injury might light a fire under Els. He’ll want to move back up in the Official World Golf Rankings and he has got to be hungry for more victories at the majors. He’ll have plenty of competition as Tiger has his swing in good shape, Phil Mickelson has become a finisher, Goosen is a regular, and Vijay could turn his putting around.

I think we can expect a slow start out of Els in 2006 as he gets his feet under him, but he will quickly be in a position to win more majors. His injury, drop in the world golf rankings, and lackluster major performance in 2005 could be the motivation Els needs. If he sees himself as a scrappy under-dog he might just snag a couple more majors before he’s 40.

Golf isn’t Els’ only passion. Els and his childhood friend Jean Engelbrecht formed the Engelbrecht Els Vineyards where they have developed a line of wines. They relied on the help of acclaimed winemaker Louis Strydom to develop their blend. Prior to their partnership Strydom “produced the only South African wine to be nominated four years consecutively as one of the Top 100 wines in the world.” Should you decide to hunt down a bottle of Els’ wine you can expect to taste a Bordeaux blend of five varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Fronc, Merlot, Malbec, and Betit Verdot. I haven’t found any wine I’m crazy about but I’m be sure to try one of Els concoctions when I see one. I’ll let you know how it tickles my pallet when I do.

Ernie is married to Liezl and has two children: Samantha and Ben. He and his family split their time between the States, England, and South Africa. Els enjoys to travel and why not when his means of transportation is a new Gulfstream V. Must be nice.

Many feel that it is high time that Els win another major. 2005 was certainly a less-than-stellar year for him at the majors according to his standards. I feel that he’ll get right back in the mix in 2006. While it might be a year of rebuilding, but I predict that Els will grab another major in the next two years. He knows he’s not getting any younger and he’ll want to get out and re-establish himself at the top.

I believe that we can expect good things from Els. I’m looking forward to seeing him swing a club again and contend again at the majors.

Photo Credit: © Unknown, Ernie Els Wines, William R. Sallaz/SI.