Ernie Els - 2008 PGA Championship PlayerErnie Els of South Africa watches his tee shot on the 13th hole during the final round of the 89th PGA Championship at the Southern Hills Country Club on August 12, 2007 in Tulsa, Oklahoma

With a long list of wins to his name, Ernie Els has retained his top position on the Official World Golf Rankings and is currently at number five.    He has pegged 63 victories, 15 of those are PGA Tour wins. 

With an impressive list of trophies, Ernie's most notable victories on the PGA Tour include the 1994 and 1997 U.S. Open Championships as well as the 2002 British Open Championship. These victories have made Ernie Els arguably one of the most successful golfers in the history of the game.  With a list of major wins, he also holds a record six World Matchplay titles.

Els's record since turning pro is impressive.  From the mid 1990s he held the number one spot in the world and his current collection of trophies is second only to Tiger Woods.  He is one of golf's truly global players with a typical season spanning across Europe, Asia, America, Africa and the Middle East.

Els has also consistently managed to hold fast to his top 10 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings for a record 655 consecutive weeks. This is more than any other golfer since the ranking system came into play in the mid 1980s.

Three years after turning pro, Els at the age of only 22 won the 'Big Three' tournaments on the South African Tour: The SA Open, the SA PGA and the SA Masters.  Added to this another three victories in the same season.

More records include breaking the Emirates Course Record in the first round with an astonishing 11 under par 61 in 1994 and in 1995 becoming the fourth player in the 32 year history of the World Matchplay to win successive titles.

1996 proved to be a superb year with multiple wins across the globe and 1997 was no different with his wins elevating him to the number one spot.   Another record came in 1999 when Els shot a record score of 25 under par at his first Nedbank Challenge – a record unbeaten to this day.

2002 saw Els win the Open Championship – the third major title of his career and he continued to amass a huge haul of titles.  His wins over 2003 and 2004 were no less impressive with Els becoming the only man in history to win the World Matchplay Championship for a sixth time.  2005 proved to be just as incredible with a storming start to the year seeing Els notch up seven consecutive top six finishes before an injury cut short his winning season.

Throughout 2006 a series of frustrating finishes but finally in December, the breakthrough.  Victory at the South African Airways Open meant that Els was able to maintain his impressive record of winning a tournament in every calendar year since 1991. Ernie Els went on to set the record for the most consecutive weeks in the top 10.

A hugely popular golfer in the game today, Els is not only revered for breaking and setting records.  His classic and powerful golf swing is admired as is his on-course persona.

Read more about Ernie Els and his successful career to date. How does Els compare with other players in the PGA Tour player stats comparison?

Will 2008 spell a first win for Ernie Els at the 2008 US PGA Championship? Can Els beat Tiger to the finish? Can you predict the next winner?

For live golf betting and daily special offers we recommend William Hill.