The Big Easy gets earnest

Ernie Els is to borrow a leaf from the doctrine of Gary Player, his predecessor as South Africa’s champion golfer, as he embarks on the next decade of his already impressive career.

After a year in which he came second in three of the four major championships, won on both the American and European tours and pushed himself back to second – after you-know-who – on the world rankings, Els has been on holiday at his home in George.

But instead of the “laid-back and chill-out” type of vacation he normally liked to have, Els has this time brought a physical trainer with him from America and has been hard at work toning his body.

It’s part of what Els describes as his plan “to get to the next level.”

“My fitness coach is a guy called Dave Herman from Orlando (his base in America) who has worked extensively with tennis players and footballers. We have been working on a total body programme that includes a bit of everything… some cardio vascular work, some weights and some specific stretches for golf.

“My aim is to be stronger overall, to improve my stamina and in so doing get greater control over my body’s performance,” Els explained.

Els says his resolution to be fitter has nothing to do with the much-hyped physical attributes of Tiger Woods. “You know I don’t have to be doing this. I am strong enough to compete and I’ve shown that I can.

“This is something that I believe is important and that I want to do for my own benefit. I’m 30 now and I’m determined to stay competitive throughout the next decade,” he said. Els is considered to be the one golfer who might be able to keep pace with Woods and it’s a challenge he is willing to accept.

At the start of this year he made the decision to, as much as possible, “go where Tiger goes” and his performance has been such that there is little argument that he is deserved of his No2 position in the world.

Had it not been for Woods’ quite exceptional year, arguably the greatest in the annals of golf, a lot more would have been written and said about Ernie and it’s good to see that he, at least, does not believe Tiger has raised the bar to a level that is out of reach.