As it’s my first update of 2022 I’ll take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year!
We’ve had a fairly long break since my last tournament in Arizona in November. It’s been great to spend time with the family, but as I always say, it feels good to be starting another season. And there’s really no better place to start a season than Hawaii. Watching the TV coverage of the Sony Open last week at beautiful Waialae Country Club was definitely increasing the sense of anticipation.
We’re at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai GC, where I made my Champion’s Tour debut exactly two years ago. That feels like a long time ago for all sorts of reasons! But it’s great to be here again and obviously feeling very motivated to get off to a strong start to the season. Let’s see how we go.
After Hawaii we tee it up at the Chubb Classic in Florida in mid-February, then the Cologuard Classic in Arizona followed by the Hoag Classic, scene of my first Champions Tour win in 2020, in Newport Beach, California. That takes us into the first week of March. The bulk of the rest of my tournament schedule will start to take shape soon, so you can check back in for updates here.
Briefly, I must take a moment to remember Tim Rosaforte who very sadly passed away at the beginning of the year. Tim was a brilliant and respected journalist, but above all he was a great friend. We had some wonderful conversations over the years about golf and about life. He was a special person and he’ll be so missed.
So, moving on to happier news. The team at Els for Autism is gearing up to announce the schedule for the 2022 Golf Challenge, the 12th edition of this series which has been such an incredible success story for our Foundation’s vision to influence autism acceptance worldwide. The Golf Challenge series began in 2011 and has since raised over $30 million for the Foundation, allowing us to develop and deliver game-changing programs, services, education and support around the globe from The Els Center of Excellence campus in Jupiter, Florida. Our work at the Foundation has made such a difference in the autism community and we couldn’t do it without the support of our family of golfers, fundraisers, sponsors, and partners. Genuinely life-changing stuff.
Thank you so much to everyone out there who has supported us. I send my best wishes to everyone who’s taking part in this year’s Golf Challenge. Maybe I’ll see you in person at the Grand Finale in the Bahamas in the Fall! Click here if you’d like more information.
Back in South Africa the team at Ernie Els Wines will soon be preparing for harvest time. If you fancy a trip to the winery, the Tasting Room, open seven days a week, has become very popular and it’s easy to see why. They’ve done an incredible job with the refurbishment and it’s the perfect setting to relax and enjoy some wine-tasting. Have a look around the trophy room while you’re there. There’s lots of good stuff in there that we think you’ll enjoy.
The restaurant is a real treat, too (pictured below). We’ve missed out on our usual family vacation in South Africa at this time of the year, which is a great shame. Our family love it there…the burger and a glass of red is a personal favourite of mine. Have one for me if you’re there! Also, the online shop is open again for business after the festive break. For information on anything to do with Ernie Els Wines, start your journey at the website: https://ernieelswines.com/.
Right, that’s it for now. I’ll write again soon.
