- Born
- Birth nameTheodore Ernest Els
- Nickname
- The Big Easy
- Height6′ 3″ (1.91 m)
- Ernie Els was born on October 17, 1969 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has been married to Liezl Wehmeyer since December 31, 1998. They have two children.
- SpouseLiezl Wehmeyer(December 31, 1998 - present) (2 children)
- Topped the 2003 and 2004 European Tour Order of Merit (money list), and winning the World Match Play Championship a record seven times. He is the leading career money winner on the European Tour, and was the first member of the tour to earn over 25 million Euros from European Tour events.
- He played rugby union, cricket, tennis, and, starting at age 8, golf. He was a skilled junior tennis player and won the Eastern Transvaal Junior Championships at age 13.
- Els was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2010, on his first time on the ballot, and was inducted in May 2011.
- Won the U.S. Open in 1994 at the Oakmont Country Club, the 1997 Open at the Congressional Country Club and The Open Championship in 2002 at Muirfield.
- Has a daughter named Samantha.
- I've never been a very technical player. I don't get caught up in swing positions and mechanics. When I work on my swing... I'm looking for feels. You'll get better results-and often more distance-if you swing at eighty percent effort. I get all kinds of people telling me I have the best swing in the world-it's beautiful, it's effortless. But I know when that isn't true.
- The practice ground is an evil place. It's full of so called coaches waiting to pounce. You can see them waiting to dish their mumbo jumbo. To hell with coaches.
- That's the nature of the beast. That's why we're out here. You win. You lose. It was my time for some reason.
- I've been there before. I've blown majors before and golf tournaments before, and I just hope he doesn't take it as hard as I did.
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