Five things to know about Ernie Els: Hall of Famer has won 79 world wide events, 4 majors

The Palm Beach Post occasionally will introduce you to a different professional golfer living in our region, whether on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, LPGA Tour or LIV Golf.

The area is the mecca of golf with northern Palm Beach County having the highest concentration of professional golfers on major professional tours of anywhere in the world. Today, we take a look at a South African and former world No. 1 who now plays on the PGA Tour Champions and is coming off a victory.

Here are five things to know about Jupiter’s Ernie Els.

Won for 79th time in career this month in Hawaii

Els, 55, has won 79 events worldwide during his Hall of Fame career, including this month’s Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. The man known as “The Big Easy” has won seven times since joining the PGA Tour Champions in 2020 and last year finished second in the seasonlong Charles Schwab Cup standings, which came with a $500,000 bonus. Els has earned $9.1 million in five years on the senior circuit and $49.3 million on the PGA Tour since joining in 1994.

Autism awareness now Els’ biggest passion

Ernie and his wife, Liezl, made Jupiter their primary residence in 2009, the year they founded The Els for Autism Foundation and just a few years after their son, Ben, was diagnosed with a condition on the autism spectrum. The Els Center of Excellence, two charter schools on a 26-acre campus in Jupiter specifically designed to create a learning environment for children on the spectrum, opened six years later. Since, the campus has added a building where adult services are available. “We came here for the sole purpose of giving Ben the best chance we could,” Ernie said. “We just wanted to have the best for our son.”

Selling pet treats to benefit autism awareness

Els, a longtime dog lover, started marketing Ernie Els Champion Pet Treats last year, to help support the Els for Autism Foundation. “At Ernie Els Pet Products we inspire pet owners and advocates to help support the autism community by fostering a sense of unity and active participation in our mission,” it reads on the Ernie Els Champion Pet Products website. Growing up in South Africa, Els had a dog named Hogan. He and Liezl have owned Great Danes, Labradors, St. Bernards, Labradoodles and Frenchies.

Els, Phil Mickelson had junior golf showdown in 1984

Els was born and raised in South Africa where he played rugby, cricket, tennis and started hitting a golf ball at age 8. He won a junior tennis tournament at 13. By 14, he was a scratch golfer and started concentrating on the sport. His first big victory was when he defeated Phil Mickelson in the 1984 Junior World Golf Championship boys 13-14 category. That year, Tiger Woods won the 9-10 category. At 17, Els won the South African Amateur and was the youngest ever to win that tournament.

Els’ first, last PGA Tour titles were majors

Els’ first PGA Tour win was a major, the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. He won the second sudden death hole to defeat Loren Roberts after Colin Montgomerie was eliminated in an 18-hole playoff. That was the first of 19 PGA Tour titles, including four majors: the 1994 and 1997 U.S. Open, and 2002, 2012 British Open. From 1997 through 2004, Els was among the best in the world and reached No. 1 in the world ranking in June 1997. He spent nine weeks at No. 1 and 788 weeks in the top 10. Els won at least one PGA Tour event every year from 1994 to 2004, with the exception of 2001. He won four more times, his last the 2012 British Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes by one shot over Adam Scott.

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Ernie Els, a 4-time major winner, has won 7 times on the PGA Tour Champions