Ernie leads on-fire Internationals
Brad Morgan
22 October 2003
Are we getting used to his greatness, or have people failed to notice that Ernie Els has put together a simply phenomenal year on the golf courses of the world?
A record-equaling fifth World Matchplay Championship title at the weekend, that tied him with South African legend Gary Player and Spanish star Seve Ballesteros, served notice that the Big Easy will be leading the challenge when the International Team fronts up to the United States in the President's Cup at Fancourt from 18 to 23 November.
Els has been nothing short of sensational, no matter where he has teed up. He boasts wins in the Heineken Classic, the Johnnie Walker Classic, the Barclays Scottish Open, the Omega European Masters, the Mercedes Championships - and now has another World Matchplay title to his name.
That's six wins in 2003, in case you hadn't added it all up, with another win in the Nedbank Challenge
- by eight shots - in December 2002 throw in for good measure.
In rand terms, Els has won about R52-million, which puts him at the top of the pile. Oh, and for good measure, he has already locked up the Volvo Order of Merit, winning the Harry Vardon Trophy for the first time as the top money winner on the European Tour. He also ranks eighth in the USA on the winnings' list.
When one considers that Els has split his time between the world's top two tours, with 15 events on the US PGA Tour and 16 on the European PGA Tour, leaving him quite some way behind the men ranked above him in number of tournaments played, then one starts to realise just how incredible his achievements are.
More talented than Tiger?
Tiger Woods is ranked number one in the world, but there is no doubt that Els has had a better year than Woods. Seve Ballesteros, after seeing Els equal his World Matchplay record, even reckoned the South African has more talent
than Woods and should achieve his aim of becoming world number one. He also says Els will win a record-setting sixth World Matchplay title in 2004, and Ernie is aiming to do just that.
Els has been the hottest golfer in the world in 2003, and will spearhead the International Team's challenge against the USA, which tees off at Fancourt near George in the southern Cape on 18 November.
The prospect of Woods and Els going head-to-head on the final day of the competition is enough to leave golf fans drooling. However, captain Gary Player's line-up is not just about the Big Easy. Other members of his team have been capturing the headlines recently too.
Nick Price, for example. The friendly Zimbabwean, born in Durban, and a favourite of fans all over the world, was inducted into golf's Hall of Fame on 20 October, the 99th person to be honoured in this way. With 41 titles during his career, including 18 in the USA, Price has won all over the world, and was world number
one during 1994 and 1995. However, even today, at the age of 46, he has shown he still has what it takes, as his three top-three results on the 2003 US PGA Tour prove.
Burning up the course
Stuart Appleby is another man who has captured the headlines recently for the right reasons. In early October he turned on the style to claim the five-round Las Vegas Invitational with a 31-under par total of 328. In the two tournaments leading up to the Las Vegas Invitational, he finished second at the 84 Lumber Classic and second at the World Golf Championships. He's so hot, he's simply burning up the course.
KJ Choi, who won in Europe for the first time at the Linde German Masters in September, was in sparkling form at the weekend, finishing fifth in the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro. He's one of Gary Player's two captain's picks, the other being South African Tim Clark, who gave Els a good go at the World Matchplay Championships before bowing out.
Robert Allenby finished one place above Choi in the Chrysler Classic. Just how well has he been playing? How about nine top 10 finishes on the US PGA Tour for starters? The Americans are great lovers of statistics, and according to the US PGA Tour's statistics, Allenby is ranked fourth in the all-round category, which is even above Els, who is ranked sixth.
Simply sensational!
Going back to Els' win in the World Matchplay Championships, the man he beat to qualify for the final was the International Team's number two, Vijay Singh. It took an amazing effort from the big South African to defeat the Fijian ace. He was four shots down before, as he put it on the Official Ernie Els website, "something clicked".
Els reeled off eight holes in succession for a World Matchplay record to set up victory.
Back to Singh again. He's been great in 2003, and his results include three wins on the
US PGA Tour. In his last four tournaments he has finished fourth, sixth, first and second. Simply sensational!
And why not a word about South Africa's number two, Retief Goosen. Talk about the Iceman. If you want cool and calm and a man for head-to-head competition, look no further than "The Goose". He showed with 10 wins in succession in the Alfred Dunhill Cup - which spurred South Africa to consecutive wins in 1997 and 1998 – that he is the type of player you would want on your team when the chips are down. Playing in South Africa should help too.
The United States team might possess the more impressive world rankings, but they will know that they are in for a battle royal at Fancourt. If anything, the International Team is more in form than the American line-up, and a fantastic competition is sure to capture the attention of golf fans all over the world.
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