He's going to hit the big 4-0 in 2009, but Ernie Els doesn't show any signs of slowing down. In fact, the affable South African has got to enter the season with positive vibes after ending a PGA TOUR victory drought of more than three years last season.
In his second start on this side of the pond, Els came from three strokes down in the final round to win The Honda Classic by one over Luke Donald. The win was Els' 16th on TOUR and brought his total worldwide to more than 60.
Shortly after his victory, Els made the difficult decision to reveal that his son Ben had autism. The family has settled in South Florida so Ben could attend a top-notch school, but Els will continue to be a global golfer. Look for him to participate in the Race to Dubai as well as the FedExCup.
-- Helen Ross
The chart above represents this player's rank on TOUR in 2008 for five skill ratings categories. Each category is based on an aggregate score which is calculated from key statistics for that skill area.