Ernie Els went to Washington to try to win another senior major and wound up in the White House on Wednesday at the invitation of South Africa’s president, who is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of systematic killing of white farmers in the country.
Els and Retief Goosen, both Hall of Fame players who have combined to win six U.S. Open titles, were part of the delegation with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Trump had already cut all U.S. assistance to South Africa and welcomed several dozen white South African farmers to the U.S. as refugees as he pressed the case that a 鈥済enocide鈥 is underway in the country.
He has at South Africa鈥檚 Black-led government, claiming it is seizing land from white farmers, enforcing anti-white policies and .
Experts in South Africa say there is no evidence of whites being targeted for their race, although farmers of all races are victims of violent home invasions in a country that suffers from a very high crime rate.
Trump, who developed high-end golf courses before entering politics, is at ease among some of the game’s greats from Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods. He first played golf with Els, who lives in south Florida, eight years ago.
鈥淲hen I spoke to you, you said, 鈥榊es, come along and bring Gary Player and Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.鈥 I brought the two of them,鈥 Ramaphosa said.
He said he spoke with Player, who turns 90 in November, and Player said he was getting in on years but wished them luck in the discussion. Trump awarded Player the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Jan. 7, 2021, one day after pro-Trump rioters attacked the White House.
鈥淲e’re proud South Africans,” Els said when Trump asked him to speak. “We want to see things get better in our home country. That’s the bottom line. It’s been 35 years since the transition (from apartheid).
鈥淚 know there’s a lot of anger through the transition, a lot of stuff happening in apartheid days. We grew up in the apartheid era. But I don’t think two wrongs make a right.鈥
Els said Nelson Mandela 鈥渄idn’t come out with hatred鈥 when he was freed after 27 years in prison, instead working to unify South Africa through sport after being elected president in 1994. He cited the World Cup of Rugby in 1995, winning the African Nations in soccer and a few golf majors.
Els won four majors, two each at the U.S. Open and British Open. Goosen, who recovered from being struck by lightning, won two U.S. Opens.
Both were in Washington for the Senior PGA Championship, which starts Thursday at Congressional Country Club across the Potomac River in Bethesda, Maryland.
鈥淲hat I’m trying to say is this has been a long time coming. That’s why we really wanted to meet you and see our way forward,鈥 Els said. 鈥淲e still want to see our country flourish. ... There’s a lot of co-existence going on, but we need the U.S. to push this thing through.”
Goosen, whose father was a property developer and a part-time farmer, grew up in what now is Polokwane. He said his brother is still running the farm but 鈥渋t’s a constant battle with ... them trying to burn the farm down to chase you away.鈥
鈥淚t is a concern to try to make a living as a farmer,鈥 he said.
Els, known as the 鈥淏ig Easy鈥 for his fluid swing, first played golf with Trump in 2017 during his first term in office.
鈥淲e didn’t talk politics because I’m not a man who can cast a vote,鈥 Els told The Associated Press that year. 鈥淲hether you agree or not, I felt it was a duty to play with the president when you get the call. It’s basically honoring what the United States has done for me and my family.鈥
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