Ernie Els: The Big Easy

I recall years ago as a youngster, watching ‘The Big Easy’ better known as Ernie Els drive and putt his way to the 1994 United States Open title at age 24. His six-foot three-inch South African frame, almost as if still asleep, would slumber across the golf course, making ridiculous shot after ridiculous shot, on his way to his first major title.

Six months later, now 25 years old, Els brought that same easy laid back style to the shores of Jamaica, in what was then, the richest golf tournament in the world, the Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship. It was in the fourth and penultimate edition of the tournament, held at the Tryall Golf Club that I fell in love with the game of golf. Els won the tournament by six strokes over Mark McCumber

I was on assignment, doing a feature story on Jamaica’s number one local-based amateur golfer, Sean Morris. This was his home course and for every employee and caddie at the course, he was both king and “Capo”, having captained several of their teams to local titles. As I laid flat on my stomach at the tee at hole number five, overlooking the majestic fairway and the green, which was perched at the edge of the Caribbean Sea and dotted by palm trees, I quickly understood why they nicknamed the hole Majestic Blue. The view was spectacular. Though majestic in every way and as old as Ernie Els, Cinnamon Hill Golf Course, and every other golf course in Jamaica, has not hosted an official international golf tournament since 1995.

The Jamaica government in successive administrations have spoken about the importance of the tourism industry and since Jamaica’s exploits in Track and Field in recent vintage, ‘sports tourism’ has been the dubbed term among sports and tourism

“So, we like that and we will always support (golf).”

I agree, golf will bring more heads to beds and with more heads on beds, everyone in the sector will benefit.

Nevertheless, strategic planning by the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) and the individual courses along with the major support from local and international companies and the government will be required to make this possible. Whatever were the problems why the Jamaica Open was not held in the past four years, I encourage the JGA to get their house in order because enormous things are on the horizon.

On the last day of the Jamaican Open, there were whispers abound that at least one of the nine local 18-hole golf courses might try to bring international golf back to Jamaica in the next two years. From my point of view, there is no might. It must happen if we are serious about ‘sports