Taking issue with Ernie

BATTLING against the endless stream of platitudes from robotic sportsmen is the infuriating bane of journalists these days.
Long gone is the era when reporters travelled and socialised with footballers on European away days or when golfers and writers mingled in the clubhouse bar or local restaurant.
The lives of today's sports stars are hardly much worse for this scenario but it is a dagger in the heart of sports journalism which ultimately means it is the readers who are affected most.
So when someone comes along and offers something out of the ordinary it's always warmly welcolmed. I remember, for example, writing a few years ago that it was a real shame Paul Casey's tongue-in-cheek remark about Americans in the Ryder Cup being leapt upon so viciously.
Ernie Els is another who occasionally speaks frankly, notably against the PGA Tour's attempts to bully him into playing more frequently in America.
He did so again recently when he was criticised for not making himself available for the Volvo Masters, especially given he was leading the Order of Merit going into the event.
Els replied by stating this was the time of year he 'gets his wheelbarrow out' and fills it with cash - so if that means playing in Singapore instead of Valderrama due to a clash of events then he won't lose too much sleep over it.
I'm an Els fan and have been for many years. But this comment disappointed me hugely. For a start, the South African is not short of a Rand or two. It's not like heactually needs a wheelbarrow-full of cash.
He has won millions in prize money for over a decade, season after season, and been paid as much if not more through sponsorships and advertising.
Els is therefore pretty much admitting he's making a huge amount of money almost just for the sake of it. For those who pay lots of money to play golf as a hobby, it sticks in the throat.
The European Tour has been good to Els too. It's where he cut his teeth and to be fair, he acknowledges that by continuing to support it every year.
It's surely not too much to ask to attend it's end of year climax, even if he was contracted to the Singapore event.
And if he felt a loyalty to what would be a highly lucrative contract in Asia, at least appear disappointed at missing the Valderrama showdown rather than make a crude comment about cashing in.
Indeed, I can't imagine the organisers in Singapore were all that happy with the comment themselves. It's the equivalent of a prized international footballer arriving at an unfashionable club and smugly waving his pay slip at the cameras to explain his reason for joining.
Perhaps Els himself regrets the remark. I've always considered him a decent bloke so it wouldn't suprise me if he does.
I will still be very pleased to see him win the Major he wants so badly, especially the Masters, next year. But some of my affection for this man's man has been lost.
That said, it made a welcome change from the stultifyingly bland dross we normally get served up. Believe me when I say it feels almost sacriligious to criticise a colourful comment.
By Chris Bertram