Ernie Els has offered an insight into the far-reaching impact that his five-year-old son Ben’s diagnosis with autism has had on his life, admitting that golf can no longer be the ”absolute” priority it once was.
In the run-up to next week’s Open Championship, the South African insists that his appetite for success in Major tournaments remains as keen as ever, but he recognises that focusing exclusively on reaching that goal is no longer as straightforward as it once was.
Els is currently in the process of relocating his family from their home on the Wentworth golf course near London to Florida in order to take advantage of the superior educational opportunities that Ben will enjoy in the United States.
The associated upheaval was one of the reasons he opted to take a complete break from golf after finishing in a share of 14th place at last month’s US Open, quality time with Ben and elder sister Samantha having been interspersed with trips to Ascot, Henley and Wimbledon.
”Samantha is saying goodbye to her friends, and she’s having a tough time at home, so it kind of worked out very well with her, the family and with business,” Els said of a break that comes to an end when he tees off in the Scottish Open on Thursday.
Since making his son’s diagnosis public earlier this year, Els has been involved in attempts to raise awareness about a condition which, he says, has led him to re-evaluate his priorities.
”Family life is number one, as always,” he said. ”But for a long time there, golf was absolutely number one.
”Your priorities change a little bit and obviously that is why we want to spend more time in the US. They have a very good system for kids in Ben’s situation and I even think that for Samantha, it will be fine.”
Els added: ”I wouldn’t want to think that my thinking has changed because of Ben. You cope with what you get in life and that is what myself and my wife have been doing.
”You have your good days and your bad days but the whole focus should be on getting the best treatment for Ben.
”You always want your kids just to be kind of normal, to do normal things with your kids. On the one end you have Samantha, who is bright and athletic, and on the other end you’ve got Ben, and he’s wonderful and in his own right special.
”But he is never going to be able to play golf or tennis or rugby or those kind of things.”
Asked if the changes in his family life had triggered a change in his attitude to winning tournaments, Els offered an ambivalent response.
”It is difficult to answer that one,” he said. ”You never want to show any weakness in your approach to any tournament, so I would say no.
”Sometimes you wake up and you feel a little bit different but I don’t think it has taken any focus away from me trying to reach my goals.”
The 38-year-old’s goal this week is a third Scottish Open title, but he would gladly let that one slip away if it meant peaking at the right time for next week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, where the absence of Tiger Woods will ensure he starts as one of the favourites.
The consensus among most of Els’s rivals seems to be that history will not record that the world number one, currently recovering from knee surgery, was missing when whoever wins next week lifts the auld claret jug.
But the South African appears resigned to the prospect of next week’s tournament being defined by the absence of the world’s best player.
”We’ll miss Tiger and especially the media will miss him, but the Open will be played whether he is there or not,” Els said. ”On the other hand, the best player of his generation is not there and whoever wins next week is going to have to answer the question of ‘do you think you would have beaten Tiger?”’ — AFP
