Ernie Els Biography

Theodore Ernest Els was born on 17 October 1969 and is a professional golfer from South Africa. He has held the World No. 1 ranking and is known as The Big Easy due to his height and smooth swing. Els topped the European Tour Order of Merit in 2003 and 2004 and won the World Match Play Championship seven times. He first gained recognition in 1984 by winning the Junior World Golf Championship in the Boys 13–14 division. Els won the South African Amateur shortly after turning 17, becoming the youngest champion in the event's history and breaking a record set in 1935. He qualified for the 64-player match play segment of the 1987 British Amateur Championship but was eliminated in that stage. Els chose to remain in South Africa and begin his military service in the South African Army in January 1988 instead of accepting college golf offers.