We have a week’s pause now in the Champions Tour schedule, so I thought it would be a good time to write and tell you all the latest news.
We’ve just completed a photo shoot with our friends at Clif Bar for a couple of initiatives that we have in the pipeline. I’m enjoying being part of a great team of people at Clif Bar and I love the product. Also later this week I’m getting together with another of our partners, evTS. We all know where the world is heading in terms of the switch to electric vehicles, so it’s exciting to be a part of that movement and this week we get to see and test drive their latest FireFly electric vehicle. Should be interesting.
Tournament-wise, the month of July was a unique experience for us in that we played three major championships in consecutive weeks – the US Senior Open Championship in Nebraska followed by the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s and the Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex at Sunningdale. All wonderful tournaments, albeit I didn’t get the kind of results that I was looking for.
We then spent a couple of weeks at the house at Wentworth. We haven’t been there since the start of the pandemic and needless to say we’ve really missed it. We caught up with some friends, played a bit of golf at Wentworth. Our son Ben was with us and our daughter Samantha for a little while, too. It’s such a wonderful family home. In many ways it would have been nice to stay longer. Maybe next time.
Anyway we’ve played a couple more tournaments back in the US since then, including the Boeing Classic in Seattle. I’m always happy to be there supporting one of my long-term sponsors. Played quite nicely, but just didn’t really get it going. It was much the same at the following week’s Ally Challenge. And actually, that’s how I’d sum up the last few months. My run of finishes is 5th, 2nd, 17th, 8th, 11th and 10th. Like I said, we’re close.
The main thing is I’m feeling good, swinging it well, and looking forward to this final stretch of tournaments. It’s tight at the top of the Money List, with not much to separate the top four or five players. Basically, after a marathon season that will effectively have lasted almost two years, it’s now a sprint to the finish line in Phoenix in November. Obviously I’m feeling very motivated to play some good golf between now and then.
Away from the tournament scene there’s lots of other news. The Els for Autism Foundation will be breaking ground on our new Adult Services building this coming October. We are so grateful for the continued growth of the campus and our success in being a life-long resource to individuals with autism. The whole team there is doing an incredible job. Our adult programs have been very popular and we are excited to have this dedicated facility that will meet the needs of adults with autism and provide them with specialized supports, activities to develop life and job skills, and provide them with endless opportunities to build social skills. At the heart of the building will be a full service café that will provide our program participants with opportunities to learn and practise the job skills needed to work in the food-service industry. It will also provide employment opportunities for adults with autism. Click here to read a little more about our plans for the facility.
Back in South Africa, the team at Els for Autism has just released its updated Golf Series tournament schedule (see poster at the bottom of this page). As we’ve said before, series organiser Nico van Rensburg has done a great job in extremely challenging circumstances, so hats off to him and the rest of the team. And thank you to all the golfers who have taken part this year and supported Els for Autism and to the clubs that have hosted us. We really appreciate it. There are spaces available at many of the remaining events, so if you’re interested, do get in touch by emailing: southafrica@elsforautism.org.
There’s plenty going on at Ernie Els Wines, too. They’ve just released three new vintages within the ever-popular Big Easy range – a crisp and fresh Chenin Blanc, a fragrant and fruity Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé and our classic and smooth Cabernet Sauvignon (see image above). All are available from the winery’s Online Shop, just click here.
Congrats are also in order at the winery, with the news that Rumour Has It Design was recently awarded an International Luxury Lifestyle Award and won Best Luxury Commercial Interior Design in South Africa for their work done in transforming the Ernie Els winery (pictured above). As you’ll have seen from some of the photos we’ve posted on this website, and on the winery’s social media platforms, it looks incredible. Well done to all involved. If you want to book a visit, a wine tasting or lunch, please click here.
Okay, that’s it for now. I’ll write again soon, but in the meantime you can follow me on all of my social media channels. Just click on the links below.
