Ernie Els feeling at home in Newport Beach ahead of Hoag Classic
NEWPORT BEACH — When World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els returns to Newport Beach Country Club every spring, he says he feels like he’s back home in South Africa, where he was born and took up the game.
“It reminds me of where we grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa – the topography, the vegetation is very similar, the Kikuyu grass,” Els said earlier this week during a media interview as he was preparing for his title defense in this weekend’s Hoag Classic.
Newport Beach Country Club also reminds him of winning. In three starts at the Hoag Classic, Els has won twice, in 2020 and 2023, and he played in the final group on Sunday in the other one, in 2022.
“I love this place,” he said. “It fits my eye – the grass, the weather, the whole place just feels like home.”
In 2020, his third PGA Tour Champions event after joining the 50-and-over tour, Els picked up his first Champions title. After stumbling in the final round in 2022 to finish seventh, he rebounded to win again last year, shooting a bogey-free, 6-under-par 65 to finish at 13-under, overtaking a large group of challengers to win by one shot.
In doing so, he became the fourth two-time winner of the Hoag Classic, joining Hale Irwin, Fred Couples and Jay Haas.
As he reflected on his Hoag titles, he also pointed out that several of his South African countrymen have won in Newport Beach.
“There’s a reason why so many South Africans have won here,” he said, accentuating the home-away-from-home feeling. “Nick Price won (in 2011), David Frost (2013), myself, Retief (Goosen in 2022) – we all kind of like it out here.”
Talent might have something to do with it, too. Els is a 19-time PGA Tour winner, including two U.S. Opens and two British Opens, with 47 other international titles and more than 300 career top-10 finishes.
Els, nicknamed “The Big Easy” because of his 6-foot-4 stature and his smooth, seemingly effortless swing, also likes Newport Beach Country Club because it is a traditional, tree-lined layout that is relatively short by tour standards at 6,821 yards from the back tees.
“The thing is, they give you a little bit of room to hit the ball off the tee,” he said. “There’s room there, so you feel a bit more comfortable. You’re going to see a lot of long hitters on the leaderboard this week. Not saying they’re going to win, but they’re going to be up there, because they can reach the par-5s in two with irons and make the par-4s shorter.
“And playing off that Kikuyu grass, if you’re in the fairway, you’ve got a good lie every time, so you can spin the ball (on the greens). It’s a golf course where you can be aggressive.”
Els also like the vibe in Southern California.
“It’s a great spot to be in a very busy area in California, but when you get out on the golf course, you feel kind of tranquil. It’s a great feeling out there. And it’s a golf course that’s always in immaculate condition. And if you’re playing half-decent, you can score. That kind of keeps the guys happy.”
As usual, the 2024 Hoag Classic has a strong 78-player field, featuring 36 of the top 38 players from the 2023 Schwab Cup points list. The marquee names include defending Schwab Cup champion Steve Stricker; World Golf Hall of Famer Couples, a Corona del Mar resident and perennial contender with two titles and six top-5 finishes in nine Hoag appearances; and fellow Hall-of-Famers Goosen, Vijay Singh and Mark O’Meara, who grew up in Orange County.
Fan favorites Paul Goydos, a longtime Coto de Caza resident, and John Daly, a two-time major champion, also are in the field.
Six-time Schwab Cup champion Bernhard Langer will be absent this year after tearing an Achilles’ tendon in training last month.