DORAL, Fla. — Ernie Els has ended the
longest drought of his career by winning the CA Championship at Doral in
a duel with South African protege Charl Schwartzel.
Els played the final 23 holes on the Blue
Monster without a bogey and closed with a 6-under 66 on Sunday for a
four-shot victory that was far closer than the margin suggests.
He had a one-shot lead as he stood over a
25-foot par putt on the 14th hole and was relieved to see it fall on the
final turn. Schwartzel fell apart after that, going bunker-to-bunker on
the 15th for a bogey and missing short putts on the next two holes. He
shot a 70.
Els last won two years ago in the Honda
Classic. He becomes only the fifth player with multiple wins in the
World Golf Championships, joining Tiger Woods, Darren Clarke, Geoff
Ogilvy and Phil Mickelson.
The victory moves him to No. 8 in the world.