Ernie Els held on for his first PGA TOUR Champions Major, winning by one shot at Firestone
The final round began as an 8-horse race, with that many players within four shots of the lead.
As the golf course took its toll it became a seven-horse race. Then it dwindled to six, then five, and when the leaders headed for the finish line only Ernie Els and Y.E. Yang were the last men standing during the Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club.
The last three holes on the South Course of the penultimate major on the PGA Tour Champions came down to a matter of survival.
Els, 54, survived and ended a 32-year winless streak at Firestone with a final-round 2-under par 68 for a 72-hole score of 10-under 270 and a one-shot victory that paid $525,000 and earned him entry into The Players Championship in March.
Yang continued his stellar season with a final-round 66 and a second-place finish at 9-under 271. Jerry Kelly, the winner here two years ago, finished third at 7-under 273 after a final-round 69.
Els’ victory did not come without a tense moment.
The World Golf Hall-of-Famer stood alone at 11-under and one shot in front of Yang when chose to go for the green from 222 yards but dumped his second shot into the pond fronting the iconic 16th hole.
“At 16, I hit the most perfect drive, and I’m thinking I’m 11 under, I’m thinking Y.E. is 10 under, and I got like a 4-iron,” he said, “I’ve got 222 to carry the water. Yesterday, I hit a 4-iron which landed exactly 222, so I felt like I had the shot in my bag, but I didn’t make a very good swing. I hit it thin and it was in the water as soon as I hit the shot.”
Els took full blame for the decision and the shot.
“Well, as I hit it I knew I had to hit my 95 percent 4-iron, you know, so it was a risky shot,” he explained. “I felt because I hit that shot yesterday with that yardage, I felt comfortable. But I got a little short in my backswing and that’s what tension does. Knowing that very well at my age, you get a little jerky back and a little short, and the land was lying away from me a bit so I had to really go after it, which I did not. So I feel like I didn’t quite 100 percent commit to that shot, so to speak. I was pissed off at myself, but it was nobody else’s fault. It wasn’t a bad club, it wasn’t my caddie giving me a bad yardage, it was me.”
“Well, when you take a risk, you’ve got to think of the consequences, you know? Obviously, you guys watch it on television, when you have a 4-iron as a pro, it’s definitely a go club, especially with nothing behind the green. But looking back now it was probably a mistake. I’ll take stock of that.”
Ironically, Els called the 16th “a great hole, one of the best par-5s you can ever design,” during a pre-tournament press conference. Two putts from above the hole led to a bogey, just his second over the final two rounds, and dropped him into a tie.
Yang, whose 66 was the best of the day, had an opportunity to tie but the 52-year-old was unable to take advantage of Els’ bad decision. Chasing his first victory on the PGA Tour Champions, Yang missed a 2-foot birdie attempt on 17 and finished with a bogey on 18 after driving his ball into the wooded area on the right side.
Els, Yang, K.J. Choi, former champion Jerry Kelly, and Steve Stricker, the defending champion, staged a terrific finish on a hit and muggy Sunday.
Stricker, seeking his third win in this event in the last four years, was in the mix until he three-putted the 460-yard 14th hole. The triple-bogey seven dropped him from two shots out of the lead to five shots and was the hole that led to an eventual 74.
Stricker, who co-led the tournament after the first round and had sole possession of the lead at Sunday’s outset, tried to rally with a birdie on the par-3 15th but the triple-bogey damage was done. A closing bogey only added to the disappointment and dropped him into a tie for fourth with Choi, both at 274.
Kelly began the day three shots out of the lead but refused to go away despite bogeys on two of his first six holes. He got back on track with a birdie on the 11th hole and climbed into sole possession of third place with birdies on 15 and 16.
Despite his finish Yang remained his joyful self.
“The second hole (par 5) I made birdie,” he said. “Second hole birdie and very comfortable setting. I think the finishing two holes is not good, but today was good.”
But it ended up a great day for Els, who picked up his third win of the season.
“Yeah, this is going to still have to settle in a little bit,” he said. “It was quite a day. I was really, really good there at stages and then I had a really good front nine, got myself in the position that I wanted to be.”
The bogey at 16 ramped up the stress level.
“I was watching obviously Steve, I’m playing with him so he was my main concern so to speak,” Els said. “But Y.E. made his appearance and he stayed there all the way through. Then it was a nerve-wracking final couple of holes. I got to the 17th tee and I saw Y.E. go to 9 under, so now I’m thinking don’t screw this up even more now.”
He didn’t.
Els, 11th on the Tour in putting average, nearly canned about a 50-footer on 17 but had a tap-in par from inches.
“It was tough coming in,” Els said. “I made a good par on 17, very tough first putt, got it down there to a gimmee.”
His tee shot on 18 was in the middle of the fairway but he felt he wasn’t home yet even with a wedge in his hand.
“I still had to compose myself to hit that wedge in there,” he said. “I had 155 down the hill.” He finished with a routine 2-putt from about 12 feet.
“You know, it’s just a wonderful feeling, said Els, whose wife, Liezl, and son, Ben, were on hand to watch.
Els and family left for the Open Championship on Sunday, meaning there was little on-course celebrating.
“It’s a pity I have to fly tonight, it could have been a big bar tab this evening at the Firestone Country Club,” he said. “I would have been buying a lot of beers, but we’ll have to wait for another time. It’s been a long journey. I never really thought I could win here, I had so many bad runs here. I guess patience, you know, kind of works sometimes.”
Darren and Allison Clarke joined the Els, minus daughter Samantha, on the trip overseas.
“The little plane’s going to be packed, so hopefully we get there,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll have a couple of cold ones with Darren, surely. What do you think?”
Ending a 32-year draught is surely worth a few cold ones.
