ONE EL OF A TIME

It was one hell of a weekend to come of age but, 13 years ago, amid the madness of a World Cup on American soil and O.J. Simpson’s police chase, Ernie Els quietly became a golfing superstar at Oakmont. He spoke to Simon Lewis.

E RNIE Els landed his first major championship at the age of 24 on a classic course in Pennsylvania when he survived a 20-hole play-off in searing heat with American Loren Roberts and Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie at the 1994 US Open.

It was two days after Ray Houghton’s magical goal had defeated Italy at Giants Stadium and three days on from O.J.’s infamous drive across Los Angeles in a white Ford Bronco and as Els, Monty and Roberts went into a Monday play-off, the Nicole Simpson murder case was dominated television screens.