Interview

Everybody Loves Ernie

South African Ernie Els is hoping to end an eight-year winless streak in majors.

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By Rich Lerner

Photo by Ben Van Hook

April 2010

His rhythmic swing is most famous, but I've always enjoyed the few seconds that precede it. There's just something about watching Ernie Els set up over a tee shot, those powerful legs in perfect athletic position, the twitchy bounce of his feet and shoulders just before he finally sets and goes. At 6-foot-3, Els is even bigger in person than he appears on TV. You just know that from a four-point football stance, he'd absolutely flatten you.

Els is physically gifted. He's also financially set and a lock for the World Golf Hall of Fame. But the past few years have been unusually difficult for The Big Easy. His 7-year-old son, Ben, has autism.

Think about it. We all want the best for our children, but we'd settle for the basics, that they find their place socially in the world, that they fit in without trouble. That isn't easy for the autistic, with their rigid routines, repetitive behavior and difficulty relating to others.

But with the move from England to South Florida and its superior special-education programs, Ernie's family is on solid footing again. His game appears to be, too. At age 40, he's desperate to snap an eight-year winless streak in the majors. Will he win big again? I put the question to Paul Goydos, a wise old head. "Absolutely," says Goydos. The reason? "Talent. People overlook the obvious. The guy's got talent."

Ernie will tell you that sometimes talent is the easy part.

The Big Easy is a great nickname, but you aren't always so easy, are you? I wasn't very easygoing for a couple of years, but I'm really starting to enjoy myself again.

Do you still love golf? I do. Even more so now that my family's getting legs.

How's Ben? He's doing really well. Physically he has really grown. He's touched quite severely by autism, but with the help he's getting I believe he's going to improve.

You've been trying to raise awareness about autism. How's that coming? Liezl and I are quite involved and very focused on this Center of Excellence we're trying to build in South Florida. We're busy raising money for that. Hopefully it'll be the blueprint for other centers to come around the country and the world.

Fans forget sometimes that their heroes are human beings. How has the struggle affected your performance? It obviously works on your mind and takes you away in different directions. You always want your family to be happy and secure. In our case, we have an autistic child. But the way the media works and the way the world runs, it's more about performance. If you don't win, you're no good. There's so much more to life than golf. Family is always first.

Is that why you didn't travel to the Middle East this year? Yeah. I'd been going for 16 to 17 years, but I've promised Samantha [daughter] that I'll be at home more often.

I sense fans would love to see you return in a big way. Fans have been unbelievably supportive, not only in the U.S. but overseas. I can feel the urge from the fans. I know they want me back, and I want to be back. At least we're pulling in the right direction.

You started 2010 with a new caddie -- former NHL player Dan Quinn -- and you've been criticized for switching too much, whether it's caddies or coaches. Is that a fair criticism? I have been switching, true. But when I was in my 20s looking at older guys, they all seemed to go through it. I remember Nick Price used to swap putters. It's just the game. Maybe it's the putter first, then you change your technique, and next thing you know you're all over the place. I've been swapping and changing, and I'm trying to find a cure. That's just the game.

You aren't working with anyone on your swing right now. Why? Butch [Harmon] gave me so much to work with. He understands I just needed my own space.

It seems like you struggle from time to time with the "hang back" on full swings. Exactly. And that comes from bad setup and bad ball position. I think the hang back came from coming back a little too soon when my knee wasn't quite right. That's when those bad habits started. I get kind of lazy through the shot. When I stay athletic with good posture and get the club away in a good position, I get through it better.

Were you taken aback when Tiger said last year that you probably didn't work hard enough to rehab your knee? It was probably taken out of context and not meant the way it came out. I know how difficult it is to come back, and I might have come back a little too early. But I told doctors I'd be back by the Million Dollar Challenge in South Africa, and they said, No way! So I sort of wanted to prove it. The knee swelled, and coming back to the West Coast, where it was cool, made the knee a little uncomfortable.

So you're comfortable with the work you put in? Look, my body will never look like Tiger's. I don't look at work ethic. I do my fair share, and I'm comfortable with what I've done.

It's been eight years since you won a major. Many people wonder if you'll win another. I know they like to write me off, yeah. I've been seeing it. Thank God, I haven't gone off the map. My goal is to get back, and get back soon.

You've said all you need is to start dropping putts, and you've worked hard on that part of your game. Just trying to rock my shoulders. All the guys out here will tell you that if you don't make putts you basically lose your sense of humor.

Rate the majors in their order of importance. Well it used to be the British and U.S. Opens before I won them, followed by the Masters and the PGA. Now it's the Masters, PGA, British and U.S. Open.

Obviously because of your desire to win the career Grand Slam. How realistic is that? More so now that I'm getting my putting stroke back. If I get that putter going, I'll have a chance.

You've won three majors, but if Tiger hadn't been on the scene, how many majors do you think you'd have won so far? Maybe six or seven without Tiger. I know what level I can play to, but what he has done -- 14 majors -- is crazy.