Els Blog: Major milestone on the horizon

Editor’s note: Ernie Els is writing a blog in 2017 and this is his latest installment. For more information on the World Golf Hall of Famer, visit www.ernieels.com To start off, I want to thank everyone at RBC and the fans at the RBC Canadian Open for the warm welcome last week at Glen Abbey. This was my seventh straight appearance in this historic tournament and it’s a pleasure to play in front of the fans here. I’m only sorry I wasn’t around for the weekend. Thing was, I just left myself a lot to do after a scrappy first nine holes on Thursday morning. Still, it was nice to go out there and shoot 4 under on Friday afternoon. I was pushing hard all the way to 18, so it kind of stings when you miss the cut by a single shot. But as I said, the support from the fans was fantastic. All the players appreciate that. Congrats also to Jhonattan Vegas, winning the tournament in back-to-back years. That’s always special.   We’ve now got a week off at home before I tee it up in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow next week. Obviously my focus is getting myself mentally and physically prepared to give it my best shot. That’s always my mindset. But, as some of you will know, there’s an extra dimension to next week’s championship. It will be the 100th major of my career, having started the ball rolling as a skinny young kid with a mop of blonde hair playing in the 1989 Open at Royal Troon. If someone had told me then that I’d play 100 of these things, I’d have been pretty thrilled to be honest with you. So obviously it’s a proud moment and to mark the occasion we’ve got some fun events planned across social media involving my sponsors, including prize competitions on Twitter. Look out for the #100Majors hashtag next Monday. Today, we’re also launching a new partnership with leading sport scholarship agency, Athletes-USA. As many know, I’m very passionate about cultivating new talents and helping young players get to the next level. The Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation was founded in 1999 specifically for this purpose — to produce successful young leaders and to help develop them to their fullest potential. But scholarships to universities aren’t as common as they are in America. This is where Athletes-USA steps in. They take a look at you, your talent, your grades, and the overall picture to match and place you into the best university. I think that this is a great opportunity for young junior golfers and all student-athletes who are looking to come to America and attend university on scholarship. This is a game-changer for anyone looking to go further. Again, for more information visit the website: www.athletes-usa.com. Okay, that’s it for now. As I said before, look out for lots of activity here on the website and on Twitter @TheBig_Easy from the start of next week, as we begin the countdown to my 100th major.

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