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A few years back, when Ernie Els appeared on the show In Depth with Graham Bensinger.
He was full of praise for his rival Tiger Woods, admitting his domination when asked about his rivalry with Woods.
"He definitely dominated. Unfortunately, for me, he did dominate our era, that ten-year era, and he beat me a lot more often than I wanted to get my hands on him," Els told Bensinger.
"He was just amazing, just an absolutely amazing talent." Els on Woods
Ernie Els and Woods have played in the same Tour event 213 times. Out of these 213, Woods won 52 events while Els could only get 10 victories. There have been eight instances when both finished either as the winner or as a runner-up. Woods has emerged victorious in 5 of these, while Els could win just 3.
Els has a reason for it. Woods was just too good.
"But he was just amazing, just an absolutely amazing talent. And the way he performed, I don't know. I never played with Jack Nicholas, but obviously they would have had a great rivalry. He was just a little bit too good. And it pains me to say that, but that's just a fact," said Els.
However, Els went on to say that playing against Woods in the US gave the latter an upper hand feeling that the 82 times winner on tour was more comfortable there compared to the South African veteran.
When Bensinger asked if it was due to fan support, Els denied it, saying it was more due to Woods knowing the home conditions well.
"I've got great support, unbelievable support through the years. But at the end of the day, you're playing at home and the other guy's not, so you just feel a bit more comfortable. And that played into his hands." said Els, "But also the talent of the man is just amazing. The shots that he played and the best clothes I've ever seen in my life." he added.
Els also added that there was mutual respect between Woods and him.
"You know, I knew that from, from way back, you know, back in the, in the early ninety s, you know, when he was still a youngster and used to play in professional tournaments, he seek me out and come and talk to me." Els on the question of motivating each other."
Ernie Els career highlights
Ernie Els has had an accomplished career as he won 19 titles on the PGA Tour. The wins include four major championship titles. The South African has won the prestigious US Open twice (1994 and 1997) and also conquered the Open Championship twice (2002 and 2012).
Ernie Els was part of the 2004-2007 "Big Five Era," a term used for the domination of Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Phil Mickelson and Els himself collectively.
For three years, they held the top five position in OWGR. They shared nine majors between them, most of them fighting against each other.
Els came close to the Masters twice, finishing second in 2000 and 2004. He finished third and tied third at the PGA Championship in 1995 and 2007 respectively.
