Golf: Ernie Els on a mission for autism

Ernie Els admits he thought his chance of adding another major to the three he won in 1994, 1997 and 2002 had probably gone. In his 40s with a fortune in the bank, and never the dominant force he had been since a knee injury in 2005, he could have been forgiven for giving up. But ever since a doctor's diagnosis that same year, the South African has been playing for more than just pride or ranking points.

In 2008, Els revealed that his son Ben, then five, had been diagnosed with autism three years' previously. Since then, every tournament he plays in, every ball he hits, is another opportunity to get his name - and by extension the cause of autism awareness - into the spotlight.

"Absolutely, you're so right," agrees the 43-year-old in the boardroom on the 40th floor of HSBC's headquarters in Hong Kong, where he spoke to the Sunday Morning Post.

"We were talking about it last week at my autism event, and I was saying to someone, the better I play, the more I get myself in the public eye, the more people are going to ask me about autism and about my son and I can keep getting the word out and get the awareness out there and help people through our cause. So it's very important for me to play good golf, not only for business but for charity work.

"One positive is that I've been able to spend more time with my family.

"[Ben] is doing great, he's 10 years old now. It is what it is. He's got his issues but he's a happy boy in a happy place and it's getting better."