1. Swing Tips
  2. Ernie's Kit List
  3. Weekly Diary
  1. Swing Tips Swing Tips
  2. Ernie's Kit List Ernie's Kit List
  3. Weekly Diary Weekly Diary

2009 – present day

2009 – present day

The year 2009 would prove to be Ernie's first winless season as a professional golfer since 1990, but it was a season not without its share of highlights both on and off the golf course. There were an impressive 10 top-10 finishes around the world, two of which were in majors - the Open Championship and the USPGA Championship.

In the Presidents Cup the Internationals, led by captain Greg Norman, were soundly beaten, but amidst team defeat Ernie emerged with a positive win-loss record to add to his already impressive Presidents Cup CV. At the time of writing Ernie had played on six Presidents Cup teams since making his debut in 1996 and in that time had played 30 matches, second only to Vijay Singh of the Internationals. Ernie's career record after the 2009 match was as follows: Played 30, Won 16, Lost 12, Halved 2.

Later in the year Ernie was inducted into the South African Golf Hall of Fame. The year was also significant in as much that it marked a change in Ernie's philosophy with regards to his playing schedule, with the Els family setting up base in the US and Ernie dedicating himself more to the PGA Tour.

Off the golf course Ernie and his wife Liezl set up the Els for Autism Foundation and launched a capital campaign to raise funds for a Centre of Excellence, the first of its kind in the world, dedicated to the treatment and research of Autism. When built the Centre will incorporate all the services a child with autism needs in order to become a productive member of society, including cutting-edge education, therapy and research. Through its proposed digital learning program the Centre will also have a global reach, helping individuals and families all over the world.

The inaugural Els for Autism Pro Am, which took place at PGA National, looked almost like a who's who of golf. Among those taking part were Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Raymond Floyd, Justin Rose, Luke Donald, Tim Clark, Richard Sterne, Stuart Appleby, Robert Allenby, Jeev Milkha Singh and many more. The event was a great success and raised more than $700,000 for Autism.

Meanwhile in the world of Ernie Els Design, the renovation of Wentworth's iconic West Course continued, including a complete rebuilding of the greens and greens' complexes and a totally redesigned par-5 18th hole. This final phase of renovations would ultimately be completed in late 2010.

The 2009 Ernie Els Invitational at Fancourt in December coincided with the occasion of the 10-year anniversary of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, with European Tour winners teaming up with celebrities and stars from South African rugby and the sporting world to raise money for charity and celebrate the success of the Foundation, which has helped many young adults go on to lead fulfilling lives and also nurtured successful golfers, including 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen.

In 2010 Ernie's decision to base himself in the US and adopt a limited international playing schedule in the first half of the season paid quick dividends. He won the WGC - CA Championship at Doral, the second individual WGC title of his career, and followed that up with victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Ernie was that month named Race to Dubai Golfer of the Month.

Further solid performances meant that Ernie would lead the Money List and FedEx Cup points all the way into the Playoff Series. Ernie would eventually finish third on the Money List and ninth in the FedEx Cup. Ernie's PGA Tour stroke average of 69.79 was his lowest since 2004. Ernie also won the PGA Tour's Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda, his second victory in that event. On the European Tour Ernie would finish seventh on the Race to Dubai.

A successful year on the golf course was capped with the news that Ernie would be inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame's ‘Class of 2011', receiving an emphatic majority vote in his first ever time on the PGA Tour ballot.

Ernie was also nominated for a Jefferson Award in the US, essentially a Nobel Prize for Public Service, in the category of ‘Outstanding Athlete in Service'. Earlier in the year the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) announced that Ernie would be presented with the prestigious Charlie Bartlett Award, given to a professional golfer for unselfish contributions to the betterment of society. Ernie received the Award for setting up the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation in South Africa and, more recently, the Els for Autism Foundation in the US.

Speaking of which, the second Els for Autism Pro Am took place at PGA National in Florida. In conjunction with a tea party hosted by Liezl Els on the lawn of their Florida residence, the Pro Am helped raise almost $1 million towards the capital campaign to fund the new Center of Excellence in Florida.

For Ernie Els Wines 2010 marked a significant and exciting period of expansion, as it introduced additional wines to its portfolio to offer greater diversity and also extend its products across a wider price range. A total of six separate wines are now housed under the Ernie Els Wines portfolio. The Ernie Els Signature remains the flagship wine. In addition there is the Ernie Els Proprietor's Blend, the Big Easy, Ernie Els Proprietor's Syrah, Ernie Els Cabernet Sauvignon and Ernie Els Merlot.

The Veritas Awards, the longest running and most prestigious wine competition in South Africa and synonymous with excellence in wine, awarded gold medals to three wines from the Ernie Els Wines portfolio. The Ernie Els Signature 2007 was also awarded the maximum ‘five star' accolade by the 2011 John Platter Wine Guide.

At Ernie Els Design the spectacular Albany golf course in the Bahamas officially opened for play, to immediate widespread critical acclaim. Elsewhere, the beautiful Hoakalei Country Club in Hawaii, created by Ernie Els Design, won best new golf course in the US at the prestigious CNBC International Property Awards. This was the fourth year in succession that Ernie Els Design had won a CNBC award, following similar successes for Oubaai in South Africa in 2007, Anahita on the island of Mauritius in 2008 and the Els Club Dubai in 2009.