Ernie’s ‘Million’ milestones

Ernie Els’ timeous recovery from his knee injury will enable him to play in his 14th Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City and draw level with Nick Price and Bernhard Langer on the roster of appearances.

While Price and Langer have dropped out of the elite group for what will be the 25th edition of the tournament over the Gary Player Country Club course from December 1 to 4, Els will be able to continue a run that has seen him compete in every tournament since 1992.

Els, in compiling a record that includes three victories (in 1999, 2000 and 2002) plus two play-off losses (to Colin Montgomerie in 1996 and Sergio Garcia in 2001), has earned a staggering $7,085,830 – just from the Nedbank Challenge!

Interestingly Els competed in seven tournaments before he won for the first time while he played in nine before Retief Goosen played in his first.

The trio of three-time winners from southern Africa, David Frost (1989, 1990 & 1992), Nick Price (1993, 1997 & 1998) and Els, have banked an amazing $12,385,330 between them.

This year’s field consists of Els, defending champion Retief Goosen, Tim Clark, Darren Clarke, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Chris DiMarco, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia and three debutantes in England’s Luke Donald, America’s Stewart Cink and the first Argentine ever to compete in Angel Cabrera.

From what started in 1981 as a ploy to market the Sun City resort, featuring just five players in Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Lee Trevino and Johnny Miller, the tournament that used to be known as the “Million Dollar” has grown into a South African institution.

The Nedbank Challenge has built its own tradition; as a glance through the following statistics will show:

Most appearances:

14

Nick Price

’83, ’92, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’03, ‘04

Bernhard Langer

’85, ’86, ’87, ’88, ’90, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’01

13

Ernie Els

’92, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04

10

David Frost

’86, ’87, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92, ‘93, ’94, ‘95

Nick Faldo

’83, ’84, ‘87, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ‘97

9

Colin Montgomerie

’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’02

8

Ian Woosnam

’86, ’87, ’88, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’96, ‘97

6

Seve Ballesteros

‘81, ’82, ’83, ’84, ’85, ‘94

*Sergio Garcia, Darren Clarke and Jim Furyk will be making their sixth appearances this year.

All-time money-winners:

$7,085,830 Ernie Els
$4,657,000 Nick Price
$3,642,500 David Frost
$3,630,000 Sergio Garcia
$2,972,500 Bernhard Langer
$2,305,000 Colin Montgomerie
$2,062,500 Retief Goosen
$1,930,000 Nick Faldo
$1,768,500 Ian Woosnam
$1,445,000 Fulton Allem
$1,020,500 Seve Ballesteros

Lowest totals

25 under par by Ernie Els in 1999
263 (67 66 64 66)
24 under par by Nick Price in 1993
264 (67 66 66 65)
21 under par by Ernie Els in 2002
267 (70 65 69 63)

Highest winning total

4 under par by David Frost in 1984
284 (71 71 71 71)

Lowest rounds

61 – Padraig Harrington 3rd round 2001)

63 – Ernie Els (4th round 2002)
63 – Sergio Garcia (4th round 2001)

64 – Nick Faldo (2nd round 1994)
64 – Jim Furyk (4th round 1998)
64 – Darren Clarke 3rd round 1999)
64 – Ernie Els (3rd round 1999)
64 – Colin Montgomerie (3rd round 2000)
64 – John Huston (3rd round 2000)

65 – Fuzzy Zoeller (4th round 1983)
65 – Seve Ballesteros (3rd round 1984)
65 – Bernhard Langer (2nd round 1991)
65 – Nick Price (4th round 1993)
65 – Vijay Singh (1st round 2003)
65 – Ernie Els (2nd round 2002)
65 – Colin Montgomerie (3rd round 2002)
65 – Lee Westwood (2nd round 2001)
65 – Lee Westwood (1st round 2000)
65 – Thomas Bjorn (2nd round 2000)
65 – Thomas Bjorn (3rd round 2000)
65 – Jose-Maria Olazabal (1st round 2000)
65 – Paul Lawrie (1st round 1999)
65 – Colin Montgomerie (4th round 1999)
65 – Darren Clarke (4th round 1999)
65 – Jim Furyk (3rd round 1999)
65 – Lee Westwood (2nd round 1998)
65 – Colin Montgomerie (1st round 1996)

The Snowmen

81 – Andy Bean (1st round 1989)
81 – Tommy Armour III (1st round 1990)
81 – Tim Simpson (4th round 1990)
80 – Scott Simpson (3rd round 1989)
80 – Sandy Lyle (1st round 1990)
80 – Vijay Singh (1st round 1994)
80 – Ian Woosnam (3rd round 1993)

Holes-in-one

None. In 24 years there has never been a hole-in-one.

Winners on debut

Johnny Miller 1981
Ray Floyd 1982
Bernhard Langer 1985
Mark McNulty 1986

Play-offs

1981 – Johnny Miller beat Seve Ballesteros at the ninth extra hole.
1982 – Ray Floyd beat Craig Stadler
1996 – Colin Montgomerie beat Ernie Els
1998 – Nick Price beat Tiger Woods
2000 – Ernie Els beat Lee Westwood
2001 – Sergio Garcia beat beat Ernie Els
2003 – Sergio Garcia beat Retief Goosen

Galaxy of Stars (taken in chronological order as well as position in field in initial appearance):

Ninety-four different golfers competed in the 24 previous “Million Dollars.” Debutants Stewart Cink, Luke Donald and Angel Cabrera will thus bring the number of participants to 97.

Johnny Miller ’81, ’82, ’83
Seve Ballesteros ‘81, ’82, ’83, ’84, ’85, ‘94
Jack Nicklaus ’81, ‘82
Lee Trevino ’81, ’82, ’83, ’84, ’85
Gary Player ’81, ’82, ’84, ‘86
Greg Norman ’82, ’84
Jerry Pate ’82
Lanny Wadkins ’82, ’85, ’86, ‘87
Craig Stadler ’82, ’83
Ray Floyd ’82, ’83, ‘84
Larry Nelson ‘83
Nick Price ’83, ’92, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’03, ‘04
David Graham ’83, ’85, ‘86
Nick Faldo ’83, ’84, ‘87, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ‘97
Fuzzy Zoeller ’83
Denis Watson ’84, ‘85
Ben Crenshaw ’84
Tom Kite ’84
Isao Aoki ’84
Sandy Lyle ’85, ’89, ‘90
Hubert Green ’85
TC Chen ’85, ‘86
Mark O’Meara ’85, ’93, ’96, ’97, ’98
Bernhard Langer ’85, ’86, ’87, ’88, ’90, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’01
David Frost ’86, ’87, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92, ‘93, ’94, ‘95
Howard Clark ’86
Ian Woosnam ’86, ’87, ’88, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’96, ‘97
Mark McNulty ’86, ’88, ’91, ’93, ’94
Fulton Allem ’87, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’93
Jose-Maria Olazabal ’87, ’90, ’92, ’99, ’00
Curtis Strange ‘87
Chip Beck ’88, ’89
Ken Green ’88, ’89, ’90
Don Pooley ’88, ’89
Scott Simpson ’89
Andy Bean ’89
Tim Simpson ’89, ’90
Scott Hoch ’89
Tommy Armour III ’90
Robert Gamez ’90
Steve Elkington ’90, ’91
John Daly ’91
John Bland ’91
Freddie Couples ’91, ‘92
Mark Calcavecchia ’91
Craig Parry ’92
Ernie Els ’92, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04
John Cook ’92
Payne Stewart ’93
Lee Janzen ’93
Corey Pavin ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96
Vijay Singh ’94, ’95, ’03
Colin Montgomerie ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’02
Hale Irwin ’94
Tom Lehman ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97
Phil Mickelson ’95, ’97
Costantino Rocca ’95
Sam Torrance ’95
Mark Brooks ’96
Steve Stricker ’96
Steve Jones ’96
Jesper Parnevik ’97, ’98
Justin Leonard ’97, ’98
Davis Love III ’97
Tom Watson ’98
David Duval ’98
Jim Furyk ’98, ’99, ’01, ’02, ’04
Lee Westwood ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’04
Tiger Woods ‘98
Paul Lawrie ’99
Miguel-Angel Jimenez ’99, ’00
Sergio Garcia ’99, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04
John Huston ’99, ’00
Carlos Franco ’99, ’00
Darren Clarke ’99, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’03
Michael Campbell ’00, ’02, ’04
Stuart Appleby ’00, ’03, ’04
Thomas Bjorn ’00, ’01
Retief Goosen ’01, ’02, ’03, 04
Padraig Harrington ’01, ’02, ’03
Mike Weir ’01
Robert Allenby ’02, ’03
Bob Estes ’02
Chris DiMarco ’02, ’03, ’04
Charles Howell III ’03
Stuart Leaney ’03
Tim Clark ’03
Jay Haas ’03, ’04
Fred Funk ’03
Adam Scott ’03
Kenny Perry ’03
Jerry Kelly ’03
Fredrik Jacobson ’04
Todd Hamilton ’04