Ernie Els

Ten years without adding to his three major titles were ended spectacularly at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2012 when Ernie Els became Champion Golfer for the second time at the age of 42. 

After a back-nine 32, completed with a 15-foot birdie putt, Els earned victory as Adam Scott, four strokes ahead with four holes to play, bogeyed them all. 

The South African’s previous Open Championship victory was in 2002 at Muirfield, where he was taken to a fifth extra hole by Thomas Levet in a play-off that initially also involved Stuart Appleby and Steve Elkington.

He has also been a runner-up for the Claret Jug on three occasions - in 1996, 2000 and then again in 2004 when he lost a play-off to Todd Hamilton.

Over 70 worldwide victories also include two US Opens, the first achieved when he was only 24 and the second in 1997 helping him reach the world No.1 spot. There have been two World Golf Championships wins as well and a record seven World Match Play titles at Wentworth, while he was the leading money-winner on the European Tour in 2003 and 2004.

Among his 35 top-10 finishes in majors are two second-places in The Masters and another at the US Open.