Els’ greatness transcends his golf game
For many years, Ernie Els says, he was exactly the same as a great many parents of a child impacted by autism.
“I was trying to get my head around it, look at the future, consider the options we had as a family,” Els said Wednesday at the Royal Montreal clubhouse.
The Big Easy, as he’s affectionately known for his stature, manner and his exquisite golf swing, has moved beyond the uncertainty and the soul-searching that once troubled his thoughts.
One of the greatest professional golfers of his generation is here for the 105th RBC Canadian Open, beginning Thursday on Royal’s Blue course.
To sit alone with Els and hear him discuss his work in autism is to realize that his greatness far transcends the golf course.
Today, Els and his wife, Liezl, are hugely involved in creating awareness of autism, a wide spectrum of complex disorders of brain development.
And much more, through the Els for Autism Foundation they created five years ago, the couple are currently building from the ground up the Els Centre of Excellence, a world-class facility on 27 acres in Jupiter, Fla., that will offer cutting-edge programs to help and enrich the lives of children and young adults on the autism spectrum, both locally and globally.
They have poured $6 million of their own money into the facility, its construction having begun four months ago, and they are at
I was trying to get my head around it (and) consider the options we had as a family
ERNIE ELS
the fore of an ambitious fundraising effort to bring the $30-million complex to completion.
The Els’s 12-year-old son, Ben, is profoundly touched by autism, a neurological disorder that’s without medical detection or cure, its cases all unique.
Fans walking Royal Montreal this week will know Els as the enormously popular 44-year-old South African who has won 70 professional tournaments, including four major championships.
A superb cricket, rugby and tennis player in his youth, Els turned his attention to golf and at age 14 won the world junior championship; two years later he was competing against pros.
He is now in his 25th year of professional golf, formerly the world’s No. 1-ranked player who three years ago was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
But what these fans should also know about Els is that he will be happier should his legacy not be what he achieved on the golf course, but rather for his work with autism.
Only when Els began speaking publicly about the disorder, and when he and his wife created their foundation, did he realize the thunderous force of autism’s voice.
“It was amazing when we began speaking about autism how powerful the voice was,” Els said, his rain-delayed Wednesday proam giving him time to talk over lunch.
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“All the community basically came alive, out of hiding almost. People told me they were so glad we were talking about it. For so many years, people affected by autism kept it a secret or kept it to themselves. It was almost like, ‘Your kid’s different, there must be something wrong with you.’
“In many ways, there have been many depressed parents around the world. With us talking about it, they don’t feel they have to hide about it anymore. And it’s helped to educate normal families and people walking their daily lives.”
“Yes, autism is there, but it’s not life-threatening to them. The one affected is a little different, he acts a little different, but he’s a human being. He’s part of the human race. Acceptance is coming around a little more.”
Els and his wife thought for some time about putting his golfing fame to use in creating awareness of autism, and doing perhaps more.
They spoke with their daughter, Samantha, now 15, who is unaffected by the disorder, explaining to her that an already very public family would be thrust further into the spotlight.
“Samantha was fine with it,” Els said. “But it was Liezl who really pushed for the Centre of Excellence. This big building, this big project, could be a satellite centre for other people around the world. We’ll start here, and see where it might go from there.”
You grow fatigued just reading about all that Els has going on in his life, and he acknowledges with a laugh that being on a golf course, playing big-stakes, high-pressure tournaments around the world, is sometimes a bit of an oasis.
He has major interests in golfcourse design, teaching, winemaking, travel, clothing and beverage businesses and restaurants. His autism foundation has international impact, reaching into Canada, and he is deeply involved in improving the education and life skills of children of lesser means in his native South Africa. “I’m busy with a lot of stuff,” he admitted with a grin, “but it was tougher years ago when we had to set things up. Now the autism foundation is set up with groundbreaking of the centre having taken place. The cement in the dirt now, it’s up and going.
“In all the aspects of my life that I have an interest in, I have good people who have been there for awhile. I feel a lot more comfortable with things running smoothly. …
His golf game could be better; Els has just one top-10 finish this season and missed the cut at last week’s British Open. He knows Royal Montreal, having enjoyed it immensely as a member of the International side in the 2007 Presidents Cup.
But there is no doubt that despite all his world fame, the two U.S. Open and two British Open titles to his name, Els is driven today by his work with autism.
He has people coming to him to share their stories, to empty their hearts, to speak of how he inspires them, which further pushes him in his journey.