They call him the "Big Easy" but the journey for Ernie Els has been anything but simple.
The imposing South African with the silky-smooth swing clinched a dramatic second Open title 10 years after his first after Adam Scott's spectacular late collapse at Royal Lytham on Sunday.
The former world number joined an elite group of players with four major titles and has reaped untold riches from the game as one of the icons of his generation. But professionally there have been disappointments, while, personally, life is not straightforward either.
Els's son Ben was diagnosed with autism five years ago and the 42-year-old admitted he was thinking of him as he came from six shots back to beat Scott by one after the Australian bogeyed the last four holes on a dizzying day on the Fylde coast.
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Pressure will do funny things to a man. Not the real pressure of feeding a family or saving a life but sporting pressure. It's that feeling of being so close and yet so damned far from achieving your dreams. No matter how big or small.
Adam Scott, Brandt Snedeker, Graeme McDowell and Tiger Woods all have a very real chance of lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Lytham on Sunday.
They share the same dream, but they will all feel the pressure differently.
For Scott, the leader by four, there is the realisation that he could finally uncork the potential that has been bottled up for so long.
Read the rest of this entry
Pressure will do funny things to a man. Not the real pressure of feeding a family or saving a life but sporting pressure. It's that feeling of being so close and yet so damned far from achieving your dreams. No matter how big or small.
Adam Scott, Brandt Snedeker, Graeme McDowell and Tiger Woods all have a very real chance of lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Lytham on Sunday.
They share the same dream, but they will all feel the pressure differently.
For Scott, the leader by four, there is the realisation that he could finally uncork the potential that has been bottled up for so long.
Read the rest of this entry
I'm Rob Hodgetts and I cover golf and stuff for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport online when I am not news editing or managing the front page.
