Ernie Els enjoyed two of his greatest passions at Glendower Golf Club on Tuesday – his love for the BMW South African Open, proudly hosted by the metro, and his work with the Els for Autism organisation.<\/p>\n
The five-time winner of the second oldest national open in golf said he was excited by the young South African stars who had responded to \u201cThe Boys are Back\u201d theme of the 107th playing of this championship.<\/p>
\u201cWe have a great field this week. I\u2019m excited to see a lot of the South Africans here.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many of them knocking on the door of doing great things,\u201d Els said.<\/p>
The field includes South African Major winners like Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman and Charl Schwartzel, as well as Branden Grace, Brandon Stone, Dylan Frittelli, Dean Burmester, Haydn Porteous, George Coetzee, Thomas Aiken and Erik van Rooyen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are young players here on the brink of becoming great players, and winning the BMW SA Open could be a really great stepping stone for them,\u201d said Els.<\/p>\n
And he\u2019s equally excited about the prospect of \u201cbringing back some of the old magic\u201d when it comes to his own game this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year was a funny year with my daughter Samantha going to college and a couple of injuries that I had.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I feel healthy and I want to play some golf, especially in front of my home crowd.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve also got some new equipment I\u2019m working with.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully I can get some of the old magic back and have a good week,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n Stone upbeat ahead of BMW SA Open<\/a><\/p>\n Breakthrough win for Lange<\/a><\/p>\n BMW SA Open Legacy Programme tees off youngsters golfing careers<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n From his first South African Open title in 1992 to his last in 2010, Els has always had great respect for this championship and what it has meant to his own career.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fortunate to have won this five times and it\u2019s been amazing every single time.<\/p>\n \u201cI have so many great memories of this tournament, including playing with some of the greatest golfers in the game.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to be here as a 48-year-old and still competing in my national open.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at this tournament, and for a small country like ours so far south, to have this kind of history in our golf is unbelievable.<\/p>\n \u201cThe champions we\u2019ve produced over the years have been incredible. Golf is ingrained in us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have great programmes and everybody gives back in some way and that keeps the ball rolling,\u201d Els said.<\/p>\n Giving back is a major priority for Els this week through his Els for Autism organisation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are doing a lot of work in the US and South Africa, and all of the proceeds from this week\u2019s tournament go towards Els for Autism. It\u2019s a wonderful way to give back.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re helping a lot of children and are moving forward with some exciting things.<\/p>\n \u201cWorking with these children changes your life.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think about things differently after you\u2019ve been with these children,\u201d Els said.<\/p>\n (Information supplied by Michael Vlismas)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Have a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:<\/p>\n Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Twitter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n YouTube\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Or add the GCN on\u00a0<\/b><\/span>WhatsApp 079 406 1181<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/b><\/span>today, to get all the latest news.<\/p>\n Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers\u00a0<\/span>Bedfordview Edenvale News<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Alberton Record<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Kempton Express<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n