Ernie Els named European Golfer of the Year

Open champion Ernie Elshas been named the European Tour's Asprey Golfer of the Year for the second time.

The 33-year-old's play-off victory at Muirfield in July was the highlight of a season in which he won six times around the world.

Els also collected the award in 1994, the season in which he captured his first major at the US Open.

"This is the perfect end to the perfect year," the South African said.

"It caps a wonderful season in which I finally achieved my lifelong ambition of winning the Open Championship and my wife Liezl gave birth to our first son, Ben.

"My goal at the start of the season was to add at least one more major to my two US Open championships and I achieved that - although I did have to do it the hard way!"

Els beat Frenchman Thomas Levet at the fifth hole of a play-off that had also featured Australians Stuart Appleby and Steve Elkington.

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