Els Is First Ballot Hall of Famer

Congratulations to Ernie Els for his selection into the World Golf Hall of Fame. I think its deserving. Els has 57 worldwide wins, including three majors: two US Opens and a British Open.

Plus, he’s apparently one of the nicest guys out there.

I’ve always wondered, however, about the fact that the Golf Hall of Fame inducts currently active players. It seems strangely anticlimactic that he will be inducted on one day, and out on the course with the rest of the players not long after. There’s probably no other way to do it, though. Compared to other major sports, golf careers are extraordinary long. At an age when football players typically washed up, many pro golfers are just getting started. Sam Snead was 52! when he won his last PGA Tour event. And then there’s 60-year-old Tom Watson, whose play still threatens players a third his age.

If we waited for Watson—or Els—to hang up his cleats, they wouldn’t have any time to enjoy the honor. In fact, in Gary Player’s case, the award likely would be posthumous.

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