By Phil Campbell
Ernie Els thinks that South Africa is in an excellent position to create history and keep the crown of the rugby championship for the first time.
The Springboks stormed the title in 2024, beating for the first time the best team in New Zealand and Australia on the way to be crowned the best team of the southern hemisphere since 2019.
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Their success in the four -team tournament, which also includes Argentina, followed their triumph of the Rugby World Cup in 2023 on the All Blacks, retaining the webb Ellis Cup which they won in 2019.
He continued a golden period for South African rugby, which sees the charges of Rassie Erasmus currently classified from the number one team in the world.
Els, quadruple major winner, former world number one and World Golf Hall of Famer, is making no secrets for his love for sport to have played him in school, and thinks that South Africa is ready to continue their success.
“There are large teams in the rugby championship, but we are in a good place for the moment,” he said, speaking when launching his new golf club, Els Club Vilamoura.
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“But we don’t want to become too arrogant. New Zealand will be strong.”
The 2025 rugby championship begins on August 16, South Africa displaying Australia in Ellis Park, Johannesberg, while New Zealand goes to Argentina.
The Springboks then welcomed Australia before going to New Zealand for their two competitions in the Round 3 and 4.
South Africa ends the competition with home clashes with Los Pumas, who beat them 29-28 in Santiago del Estero to refuse them a clean scanning of victories last year.
ELS is the second most decorated golfer in South Africa, having triumphed at the US Open in 1994 and 1997 and the open in 2002 and 2012.
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His daughter Samantha played international rugby for the United States in 2022 before making her debut for South Africa in 2023.
ELS played an exhibition of nine holes to open the Els Club Vilamoura alongside the Scottish legend Colin Montgomerie and the 2001 open champion David Duval.
The Algarve course is a 18-hole championship golf course which offers a luxury clubhouse and signature equipment such as the 261 bar, and was built on the Redesssiné Victoria course, which welcomed the Masters of Portugal from 2007 to 2022.
It will host the new PGA Champions Tour event, Portugal Invitational, after having signed a five -year contract.
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The first edition of the event should be held from July 31 to August 2, 2026.
Els said: “The golf course is in the pretty ideal place right now and [creating this course] was a very nice business. We want the conditions to be absolutely perfect and people have great experience and good food. »»
Montgomerie added: “The golf course is superb, and the clubhouse is fantastic. It is not only a course for the present; it is also a course for the future.”
PGA Tour Champions announces Portugal Invititational to be held at the Els Club Vilamoura on the route designed by Ernie Els. PGA Tour Champions, Arrow Global Group, Turismo de Portugal and Turismo de Algarve will offer a five -year partnership and will do its debut the week of July 27, 2026, and will offer an area of 78 players. For more information, visit https://www.portugalinvitational.com/
