Ernie, The Claret Jug and Me
If someone had told me I’d have my hands on the Claret Jug at 6am on the morning after The Open Championship had finished at Muirfield in 2002, I would have jumped to thinking a Cinderella story had unfolded. Scraping through Open Qualifying; a miracle first round; a clubhouse lead; a battle with nerves to hang on down the stretch; that four foot putt to win….. I can but dream. Sadly for me, I’d have been mistaken about the reason but the facts were correct – I did have my hands on the famous old trophy that morning.
Arriving for work at Wentworth on that 22nd July morning there was Ernie Els, propping up the bar (or, more likely, being propped up). A few short hours earlier he had been defeating Thomas Levet in a sudden death play-off to win his first Open Championship on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Now here he was, drinking chilled Bollinger in a leafy corner of Surrey and, whatever his state, satisfying requests from all-comers for a photo. Thank goodness Twitter hadn’t been invented, as I’m sure photos of the newly crowned Open Champion in a slightly worse-for-wear state would’ve gone viral in minutes. But what struck me the most was his patience with all those that wanted their own memento. It’s no wonder he’s such a popular figure in the game.
For all Ernie’s reputation as a hard-living, hard-drinking South African, and the fact that he lived on the Wentworth Estate, I didn’t expect to see him in the Wentworth bar that morning. Surely the demands of media and sponsors would put the celebrating on ice, so to speak, for a few days at least? But obviously not. Throw in the private jet and an unquenchable desire for a party and perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised.
After the media frenzy and initial celebration in Scotland, Ernie had hopped straight on his plane to be amongst friends near his Surrey home. Arriving around midnight (reportedly), the Club bar served as base camp for the festivities, and it was only when the morning staff came on duty several hours later that the revelry started to ease off.
The celebrations continued until at least 10am, at which point he was chauffeured off home. There were rumours that along this half mile route there was a detour to other establishments in the Sunningdale area, and even a report of him teeing it up at Windlesham Golf Club for a bit of fun on the Monday afternoon. But they were just rumours…. I’ve heard recent interviews with Els where he’s declared this kind of carousing behind him. Last year’s Open win gave him another chance to indulge, but I suspect the older and wiser head steered him in another direction.
So, what of 2013? Well, Ernie missed the cut at last week’s Scottish Open but there have been glimpses this season, including a finish for tied 4th at The US Open last month. A bit like Angel Cabrera, for me, he’s a Major player – one of a select few who are so naturally gifted that they rise to the top when there’s a big prize up for grabs. It’s as if it’s only the Majors that really get the juices flowing. As a four time Major champion and a past Open winner at Muirfield, he’s proven he can do it and so I wouldn’t bet against him. But if he does, don’t expect to see him propping up the bar at Wentworth on Monday morning.