The South African professional golfer Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els competes on the PGA Tour Champions, a circuit for players over 50, as of February 2025. He has won 79 professional titles, including four major championships, two WGC events, and one senior major. He turned professional in 1989 and earned his first victory at the 1990 Spoornet SA Classic on the Sunshine Tour. By June 1997, he had reached No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
Ernie Els' professional victories include 19 PGA Tour wins and 28 European Tour wins. His four major titles consist of two U.S. Open victories (1994, 1997) and two Open Championship wins (2002, 2012). Moreover, Els finished runner-up at the Masters Tournament in 2000 and 2004 and placed third at the PGA Championship in 1995 and 2007. In 2024, he won the Kaulig Companies Championship, a senior major. Els was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
Who are Ernie Els’ parents?
Ernie Els' parents are Neels and Hettie Els.
Golf Week reported in 2018 that Neels, who was a 3 handicap, taught his son golf from a young age.
Ernie Els discussed how putting is the key to victory, referring to it as "the game within the game." He related a childhood experience of attending a tournament with his mother, Hettie, where he met Bobby Locke, one of golf's greatest putters. Els was a junior player at the time and, to his amazement, Locke greeted him with, "Ah, Master Els," in an almost royal tone. (via Golf.com)
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FAQs on Ernie Els
A. Ernie Els has won four major championships: two U.S. Opens (1994, 1997) and two Open Championships (2002, 2012).
A. Ernie Els is nicknamed "The Big Easy".
A. Ernie Els turned professional in 1989. He won his first professional event at the 1990 Spoornet SA Classic on the Sunshine Tour.
A. Yes, Ernie Els reached world No. 1 on the Official World Golf Rankings in June 1997 and held the position for nine weeks.
A. Yes, Ernie Els was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
A. Ernie Els and his wife, Liezl, founded the Els for Autism Foundation after their son was diagnosed with autism.
