Capsules of Congressional's Big Four

Ernie Els  |  Retief Goosen  |   Phil Mickelson  |  Vijay Singh

Ernie Els
Age: 36.
Turned pro: 1989.
World Ranking: 3
PGA Tour victories (15): 1994 U.S. Open, 1995 Byron Nelson Golf Classic, 1996 Buick Classic, 1997 U.S. Open, 1997 Buick Classic, 1998 Bay Hill Invitational, 1999 Nissan Open, 2000 International, 2002 Genuity Championship, 2002 British Open, 2003 Mercedes Championships, 2003 Sony Open, 2004 Sony Open, 2004 Memorial, 2004 American Express Championship.
Career top 10s: 83.
Best 2005 Finish: 2, Sony Open in Hawaii.
Key stat: Hasn't missed a cut in a major since the 1999 PGA.
Notable: Became, in 1997, the first foreign player since Alex Smith (1910) to win more than one U.S. Open ... a scratch golfer at the age of 14 when he captured the world under-14 title in San Diego.
Personal: A very talented tennis player as a junior.

Retief Goosen
Age: 36.
Turned pro: 1990.
World Ranking: 5
PGA Tour victories (5): 2001 U.S. Open, 2003 Chrysler Championship, 2004 U.S. Open, 2004 Tour Championship.
Career top 10s: 31.
Best 2005 Finish: 3, Match Play Championship, Masters.
Key stat: Besides Tiger Woods, the only player to win a tournament in each of the last four seasons.
Notable: In 2001, he became the fourth rookie in the tour's history to earn more than $1 million ... recorded 11 one-putts in the final round of the 2004 U.S. Open.
Personal: Struck by lightning as an amateur in South Africa.

Phil Mickelson
Age: 34.
Turned pro: 1992.
College: Arizona State.
World Ranking: 4
PGA Tour victories (26): 1991 Northern Telecom Open, 1993 Buick Invitational, 1993 International, 1994 Mercedes Championships, 1995 Northern Telecom Open, 1996 Nortel Open, 1996 Phoenix Open, 1996 Byron Nelson Golf Classic, 1996 World Series of Golf, 1997 Bay Hill Invitational, 1997 Sprint International, 1998 Mercedes Championships, 1998 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, 2000 Buick Invitational, 2000 BellSouth Classic, 2000 Colonial, 2000 Tour Championship, 2001 Buick Invitational, 2001 Hartford Open, 2002 Bob Hope Classic, 2002 Hartford Open, 2004 Bob Hope Classic, 2004 Masters, 2005 FBR Open, 2005 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, 2005 BellSouth Classic.
Career top 10s: 112.
Best 2005 Finish: 1, FBR Open, Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, BellSouth Classic.

Vijay Singh
World Ranking: 1
Age: 42.
Turned pro: 1982.
PGA Tour victories (27): 1993 Buick Classic, 1995 Phoenix Open, 1995 Buick Classic, 1997 Memorial, 1997 Buick Open, 1998 PGA Championship, 1998 Sprint International, 1999 Honda Classic, 2000 Masters, 2002 Houston Open, 2002 Tour Championship, 2003 Phoenix Open, 2003 Byron Nelson Championship, 2003 John Deere Classic, 2004 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, 2004 Houston Open, 2004 HP Classic of New Orleans, 2004 Buick Open, 2004 PGA Championship, 2004 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2004 Canadian Open, 2004 84 Lumber Classic, 2004 Chrysler Championship, 2005 Sony Open, 2005 Houston Open, 2005 Wachovia Championship.
Career top 10s: 128.
Best 2005 Finish: 1, Sony Open, Houston Open, Wachovia Championship.
Key stat: Has finished in the top 5 of the money list every year since 1998.
Notable: Has won 15 times since turning 40, second only to Sam Snead (17) ... only player elected to World Golf of Fame this year.
Personal: Visited his native Fiji for the first time in nine years last month.