Frequent U.S. Play May Help Els More Than His Frequent Flying

So much of what’s wrong in sports today is blamed on money.

Lack of dedication, lack of work ethic, lack of the love--it all comes back to the money. These guys are making too much money.

When it comes to Ernie Els, more money might be the solution, not the problem.

That ultimate incentive--dollars--could mean we get to see his sweet swing in more American golf tournaments. It could mean we get to see him stay at the top of his game longer. It could mean we get to see him, period.

There’s all kinds of new money pouring into golf these days. (I hope the rest of the PGA Tour guys remembered to include Tiger Woods on their Christmas card list. It’s the least they could do to thank him.) The TV ratings are up, so TV revenue will be up. The demographics of golf fans are changing, meaning companies can now use the sport to sell more than Oldsmobiles and time-share condos.

The money is making its way back to the players. There’s more than $85 million to be had in PGA Tour events alone this year. Starting next near, the World Golf Championships will join the mix. The elite tournaments will reward their entrants with purses of $4 million.

Generally, players will have to rank among the top 50 in the world to qualify. One of the criteria will be the PGA Tour’s World Money list. And where do you think the most money will be? Right here in the U.S.

Els, a South African, likes to travel. After he finishes the Mercedes Championships here this week, he will play in Thailand, Australia, South Africa and Dubai before returning to America for the Doral Ryder Open in Florida.

It’s a way to reward the tournaments that helped him when he was starting. It’s a great way to see the world. It just doesn’t make any business sense.

If he tried that same schedule next year, “By the time I start playing [more PGA Tour events] in March, I could be $1 million behind,” Els said.

So Els, 28, says he’ll play more PGA Tour events earlier in the year, which means he’ll play more on the West Coast, home of the first few stops. That’s more chances for folks in the West to watch him display his mastery with the irons, which helped him win his second U.S. Open--arguably the most difficult of the four majors--last year.

With so much money at stake, maybe he’ll stay with his newfound commitment to exercise. He saw his bloated body on the cover of Golf World magazine after he won the U.S. Open and realized he’d better start working out.

“But it took me about three months to get into it,” Els said.

The fact that he would work out at all came as a shock to those who know him well.

“I still can’t believe it myself,” said Els, who was two strokes off the lead after shooting 67 in the first round of the Mercedes on Thursday.

“I do a lot of cardio stuff and light weights,” he said. “I don’t want to become a he-man. I just want to get into better shape.”

It’s not too much to ask. You don’t need to be a decathlete to play golf. All you have to do is keep yourself healthy enough to walk a few thousand yards and swing the club 72 times a day and you can keep cashing checks for a long time. Hale Irwin is 52 and he made more than $2 million on the Senior Tour last year.

Els, whose game doesn’t depend on power, could stay competitive for a while . . . if he doesn’t kill himself first. Last week, on the same day as Michael Kennedy’s fatal skiing accident on the slopes of Aspen, Els nearly ran his snowmobile into a tree trunk. The branches knocked him out of his seat.

“I just had a couple of scratches,” Els said. “Nothing serious.”

It was his first--and hopefully last--time on a snowmobile. He now has a whole new respect for snow.

“Looking at it, it looks soft and nice,” Els said. “But it can hurt you.”

Els has too much to lose. If it’s excitement he needs, money can provide that too. The largest winner’s check on the PGA Tour this year is $720,000, and the prospect of a 20-foot putt with $720,000 on the line doesn’t sound too dull, does it?