What do golfers do when they retire?
Probably play more golf, to be honest, given the longevity of this game for all the ages. Ernie Els is not ready to wind down just yet, of course. At 43-years-old, the popular South African is as hungry for success as ever and the competitive juices will be flowing as furiously as a swollen river next week when he returns to Muirfield to defend his Open Championship crown.
If he ever tires of the cut-and-thrust of the golfing arena, though, Els has his own ideas on how he would fill his time. "I am looking forward to the future and, you know, maybe at 55 I will go and sell some hotdogs at Herolds Bay," said Els with a smile, as he mulled over a shorts and t-shirt life by the ocean in his native land. "If it wasn't for golf, I would be doing that but I have golf and can compete and win. This is the only sport where you can compete as a 40-something and at times beat 20 somethings. That's what makes it wonderful."
For the time being, there are no signs that Els's career is going to the dogs. The four-time major champion continues to flourish at the sharp end and a fourth-place finish in the US Open at punishing Merion was followed by a timely victory in the BMW International Open on the European Tour in Germany last month. He may have missed the cut in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart last night but the Big Easy looked far from downbeat as he switched his attentions to Muirfield.
Just over a decade ago, Els emerged triumphant from a four-man play-off over the redoubtable East Lothian links to capture the Claret Jug. It took him another 10 years to get his hands on golf's most cherished piece of silverware again when he seized on Adam Scott's stumble on the closing stretch at Lytham last July to win by a shot.
The global game may be awash with youthful exuberance but the seasoned campaigners still have plenty of fire power. "When you get on, you keep believing," added the former European No.1. "I believe what Gary Player said. Even when he was 62, he believed he could still win an Open. We tend to laugh about it but if you believe in something, only you know what you can do.
"I have been around for a while. I was 20 when I turned pro and now I'm 43 going on 44. I'm probably on the third stage of my career but who cares? I really think I have a couple more majors left. It is a sport and anything can happen. Tom Watson almost showed that when he was 60 or something so there are still going to be some stories written in sport."
As far as his own golfing story is concerned, Els clearly remains confident that there are a few more triumphant chapters to be penned.
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