When autism affected his family, Els spoke up
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- When Ernie Els showed up at PGA National for last year's The Honda Classic, he hadn't won on the PGA TOUR in three years and was becoming the Big Question Mark.
What had happened to one of the world's best players? Not only had he lost his winning touch, but it also seemed he had lost some of his desire.
That -- the losing streak and the perception -- all changed during a fortnight last spring.
First, Els fired a final-round 67 to rally from a three-shot deficit to win The Honda Classic by a shot over Luke Donald. It was the greatest comeback in Els' career, but more importantly, it set the stage for what happened the following week.
That's when Els made the tough decision to announce to the world his then-5-year-old son, Ben, had autism.
"The win gave me a chance to seize the moment," Els said recently. "It gave me another step up to really talk about it and get some awareness going. I've got a good little stage to talk about it. It was time."
Because of his accomplishments in golf -- with three major championships, 16 PGA TOUR titles and more than 60 worldwide victories, Els is easily one of the most visible players in the game -- he knew he eventually was going to have to come public with his son's condition.
But Els also realized his stature could play a key role in helping to fight a disease that affects one in 150 children, according to Autism Speaks. And that's what Els has done: throw his considerable clout behind raising money and awareness for the disease.
His bag is adorned with an Autism Speaks logo. He and his wife, Liezl, have started a foundation. Later this month, Els will host a pro-am at PGA National to raise money for autism research.
The response was so overwhelming from his fellow pros -- among the stars playing are Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Raymond Floyd, Gary Player, Donald and Justin Rose -- Els had to turn down some requests.
Ben's autism is one of those life-changing moments that some families have to go through. Els and Liezl decided last year to move their family that includes 9-year-old daughter, Samantha from London to the Jack Nicklaus-designed Bear's Club in Jupiter, Fla., to take advantage of the medical facilities South Florida can provide.
Els has joined forces with, among others, former NFL star Dan Marino, another south Florida resident who also has a son with autism and has helped build a hospital in Weston that concentrates on autistic children.
Els never used his son's condition as an excuse for his winless spell (many thought it had more to do with a knee injury from a water-related accident). But is there any doubt a father who's attending to one of his children's illness isn't easily distracted? Golfers have too much time in their five-hour rounds for their minds to wander when things in their personal life are unsettled.
"There's a lot of emotion," Els said. "What we do in our sport is an emotional roller coaster in itself, but I've tried to play golf and whatever happens off course you deal with. But there are times it does creep in and you get a little crazy. You've seen me walk off golf courses the last couple years like I'm on a different planet."
Els hasn't won since that victory at PGA National 52 weeks ago -- though he's had six top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place tie at last week's World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship -- which explains why he's dropped to 14th in the latest Official World Golf Rankings. But the numbers he writes on his scorecard aren't as important as they once were.
Els says his decision to go public with Ben's condition has prompted others to do the same with him. When young pros seek him out for advice these days, it's not just about a swing thought.
"Some of the young guys who just got married, they ask me questions because they are going to have families," he says." They want to know if there's a way of telling if going to happen or not ... is it in your blood or genes, whether it's flu shots ... we are trying to find out why it's happening. I get a lot more questions about it."
Former NHL player Dan Quinn, who introduced Els to Marino last year, says he admires the way Els has dealt with Ben's situation so publicly.
"Ernie and Liezl have done an unbelievable job of getting out in front of this and being the face of autism, so to speak," Quinn said. "It's not something Ernie hides behind. If someone asks him about it, he will readily talk about it.
"I'm sure a lot of people wonder why Ernie didn't win for a stretch there, but nobody knows what happens behind the scenes. This is something he obviously didn't have in his cards, but he's met it head-on. Ernie's still a young guy, and I expect he's going to do a lot more great things in golf."
Els will be trying as hard as he can to defend his The Honda Classic title this week to end another winless spell, yet his golf is no longer what defines him. He will turn 40 later this year, but it's not his career he obviously feels a sense of urgency about.
"You can't help but feel for Ben," Els said. "He's a healthy kid (and) everything about him is perfect. But he's not going to be, call it a normal kid. He won't play the same sports and do the same things you envisioned, and that's the hard part."
Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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