The 2012 British Open Winner was Ernie Els, a South African professional golfer. Els has won four major championships in his career, including the 2002 and 2012 British Open Championships. He is also a two-time U.S. Open champion and a two-time winner of The Players Championship. Els has been ranked as one of the top golfers in the world for many years and is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time.