Ernie Els wins WGC-CA Championship

The final round of the WGC-CA Championship at TPC Blue Monster became a duel of the South Africans as Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel went head-to-head in the final round. And it was the veteran Els who came out on top as he taught his young countryman a lesson in golf.

Locked together on 204 after three days play, and one ahead of Padraig Harrington the duo served up a cracking finale in the tournament which saw several of the big names fail to perform. But take nothing away from either Els or Schwartzel as their own duel could have gone either way for much of the round.

For Schwartzel, it was the chance to play with the man who he considered his idol as he was growing up and learning the game. For Els, it was the chance to get back to winning ways since his last success in 2008 and also a chance to brighten a star which seemed on the wane in world golf.

With the wind blowing, Els played near faultless golf, and his bogey free final round 66 was enough to present him with victory. But with Schwartzel breathing down Els’ neck for much of the final day, it was perhaps the veteran’s crucial par-save on the 14th hole which finally swung the duel in his favour; Els holing a 25-foot putt to save his par. Had Ernie bogeyed that hole, he would have dropped back into a tie with Schwartzel, having nosed ahead at the 11th.

That blow was perhaps enough to rattle the younger Schwartzel and he promptly bogeyed the 15th hole after his ball became plugged in a front bunker and his recovery flew the green to land in a bunker at the rear. The dropped shot put him two behind Els with three holes to play, and another dropped shot on the 17th was the final nail in the coffin as Els rubbed a little salt into the wound with a birdie to go to the last with a four-shot lead.

It would have taken a monumental collapse by Els to relinquish his hold on a first win in two years, but he was never in danger of doing so and finished with a par to win.

There was a three-way tie for third place with Matt Kuchar joining European pair Martin Kaymer and Padraig Harrington – a trio of bogeys from the 13th putting paid to any hope of Harrington threatening Els’ lead. The three players finished three shots behind Schwartzel.

A further group of five players finished in a tie for sixth place and a further stroke behind – three of them Europeans. Paul Casey, Alvaro Quiros and Graeme McDowell rounded off a good week for European golf as Europe’s golfers filled half of the top-10 on the leaderboard. United States’ Bill Haas and Australian Alistair Presnell filled the other two spots.

Another veteran, Vijay Singh tied for 11th place, alongside Aussie pair John Senden and Robert Allenby while defending champion Phil Mickelson once again shirked his bookies’ favourite tag and never got in a blow at the leaders; eventually finishing in a tie for 14th place alongside Italy’s Francesco Molinari.

Of our tips, it was Anthony Kim who performed best of our three of the tee; the American eventually finishing in a tie for 22nd, some 13 shots off the pace. Geoff Ogilvy tied for 45th place, with a one-under total but biggest disappointment was Dustin Johnson who went from being in contention at halfway to also-ran after failing to cope with the blustery conditions over the weekend and eventually dropping well down the leaderboard to finish outside the top 50.