Ernie Els revealed three years ago that his son, Ben, has autism, and since that time he has been busy raising awareness about the condition – and also raising money to see what can be done to combat it.
In the third Els for Autism Pro-Am at PGA National Monday, 21 professionals helped raise $750,000. The event has raised nearly $3 million for the Els Center for Excellence, which will provide children with autism access to education and therapy services.
Another fund-raising initiative that reaches a national scale is the Els for Autism Golf Challenge, which was created earlier this year, with 30 coordinated amateur events around the country from May through September. The final is scheduled for October 23-24 in Las Vegas.