South Africa’s Ernie Els claimed a two-stroke victory in the Principal Charity Classic on the PGA Champions Tour on Sunday.
It was the fourth Champions Tour victory for Els, who closed with a seven-under 65 to finish on 21-under for the week. Canada’s Stephen Ames was second on 19-under, with the trio of David Duval, Rod Pampling and Bernhard Langer tied for third on 17-under.
Els and Ames were tied for the lead after the second round, but as the Big Easy compiled five birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free final day he was able to edge out his opponent.
It was Els’ first win on the Champions Tour since March last year.
The winning moment 🏆@TheBig_Easy breaks the @PCCTourney tournament scoring record at 21-under! pic.twitter.com/c2zwTFQBtf
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 2, 2024
‘Very special’
“It’s very special,” Els said. “You know, I haven’t won for a while. I’ve had quite a few chances, but it gets tougher when you don’t get it over the line. So today was very, very competitive. A lot of players, a lot of great players. I just took my chance when it came.”
The 54-year-old Els remains the last South African player to have won a major, when he claimed a shock win at The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2012.
At the age of 42, it was Els’ first major victory in 10 years. Between 1994 and 2002, Els won two US Open titles (1994, 1997) and The Open Championship (2002).
Els also reached world number one in 1998, and later finished second in The Masters in 2000 to Vijay Singh and again was runner-up at Augusta National in 2004 to Phil Mickelson.
A message from the @PCCTourney champ, @TheBig_Easy 🤳 pic.twitter.com/r7r6F86dP6
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 2, 2024