South Africa Outperforms Europe and USA in 2010

Sometimes we get all caught up in the hoopla and forget to check the underlying facts, and then build our conclusions upon them.

Yes, it is a Ryder Cup year and yes, the Euros beat the Americans in tantalizing fashion.

But watching the 100th edition of the South African Open Championship on the Golf Channel started me thinking a little more objectively about who really outperformed who in 2010.

Yes, England's Lee Westwood, as of October 31st, 2010 is now the No. 1 golfer in the world according to the Official World Golf Rankings.

Yes, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell beat the game's best at Pebble Beach and hoisted the U.S. Open Championship trophy.

Yes, Germany's Martin Kaymer beat Bubba Watson to win the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

But South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen beat all the world's best golfers in the most convincing fashion in the Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Also, South Africa's 41-year old Ernie Els reinvented himself with a year that any flat-belly 20-year-old would be proud of.

Els beat one of his South African prodigies Charl Schwartzel down the stretch to win a World Golf Championship at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral early in the year.

After teaming up with his Lake Nona buddies to beat Tiger Woods and his Isleworth cronies, Els went over to Bay Hill to win Arnold Palmer's tournament.

How's that for a trifecta in March?

The soon-to-be World Golf Hall of Famer's march continued westward, where he almost won his third U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

With bogeys on the difficult par-5 14th hole, as well as the par-3 17th, Els finished two strokes behind McDowell and one stroke ahead of Woods and Mickelson.

And don't forget about South Africa's "little Timmy Clark" winning one of the big ones in the United States—the 2010 PLAYERS Championship.

The only South African that was quiet this year was Rory Sabbatini, and no one is complaining about that.

Did South Africa outperform Europe and America in 2010?

Okay maybe Els' performance was matched by Jim Furyk, but let's look at the numbers.

In a world of nearly 7 billion people, Europe has 833 million, America has 311 million, and South Africa is home to only 50 million.

On a golfer-only basis the world has about 70 million, with one-half of them in the United States and 7 million in Europe.

How many golfers are there in South Africa?

South Africa has only about one-half million golfers, or roughly a little over 1% of the number here.

So there you have it, by the numbers.

Ernie Els, the active leader of South African golfers, won the historic South African Open Championship today.

South African golfers outperformed all others in 2010.

Think about it! Gary Player would certainly agree!

We definitely will hear the same message next May when Ernie Els is inducted into the Hall of Fame on the Monday of THE PLAYERS.

"If you love golf and believe South Africa is No. 1, you got to go," I hear Mr. Player saying…

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer as well as a Broadcast Assistant for Golf Channel and CBS Sports. He spends time on all four major American golf tours— the PGA TOUR, Champions, Nationwide and LPGA Tours.

Reistetter resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA Tour headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]