Ernie Els of South Africa has won the 2003 Asprey Golfer of the Year Award for the second successive season, following another remarkable campaign in which he won five individual titles on the European Tour and captured the Volvo Order of Merit for the first time.
In 2002, the 34-year-old world number three collected six individual titles, including the 131st Open Golf Championship, on his way to winning the Golfer of the Year Award.
A panel from the Association of Golf Writers, television and radio met with representatives of the European Tour and Asprey at Surrey County Cricket Club’s AMP Oval to discuss a host of contenders for the award.
A number of candidates were involved in the debate for the 2003 award and Els earned the accolade ahead of players of the calibre of Ireland’s Darren Clarke, Fredrik Jacobson of Sweden, Vijay Singh of Fiji and Lee Westwood of England.
Els succeeded his close friend and fellow South African Retief Goosen as winner of the Harry Vardon Trophy after a season in which he won the Heineken Classic and the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia, The Scottish Open in Scotland and the Omega European Masters in the Swiss mountains. He also claimed the World Match Play title at Wentworth Club to equal the record of five wins held by Seve Ballesteros and Gary Player.
In addition, Els won back to back on the US PGA Tour at the start of the year, following a victory in the Mercedes Championships with a success in the Sony Open in Hawaii.
”It is a wonderful honour to be named Golfer of the Year for the second successive season,” said Els. ”Although I didn’t emulate my major championship success of 2002, I was delighted to win seven times on three different continents and to follow my good friend Retief Goosen as the Volvo Order of Merit winner. It is a great thrill to be European number one for the first time.
”I enjoyed a tremendous start to the year, winning back to back in Hawaii, then twice in Australia in the Heineken Classic and the Johnnie Walker Classic. It was satisfying to win the Scottish Open for a second time and the European Masters for the first time before equalling the five victories of Seve Ballesteros and Gary Player in the World Match Play Championship close to my home at Wentworth. That was a great experience.
”I would like to thank everyone on the panel who voted for me and I look forward to seeing all my old friends on the European Tour in 2004.” — Sapa