Hannes van Niekerk remembers the exhaustion. For more than 30 years, van Niekerk has been associated with golf in South Africa, and he said his countrymen used to go to work tired on Monday mornings from staying up late to watch native son Ernie Els play in tournaments. With Els having won more than 70 titles around the world, including four major championships, since he turned pro in 1989, there were many tired Mondays for his fans.
“An entire nation watched Ernie play in tournaments every Sunday,” van Niekerk said. “That has changed now. We’re all fresh on Monday.