• WGC-CA Championship

Els holds off Schwartzel to capture title in Doral

ESPN staff
March 14, 2010
Ernie Els' putting was first class in the final round © Getty Images
Enlarge

Ernie Els produced a top class final round of golf to hold off the challenge of compatriot Charl Schwartzel in order to win the WGC-CA Championship in Miami.

Without a win in two years on the PGA Tour, Els started the day level with Schwartzel on 12-under-par, but he immediately turned up the heat on his rival - 15 years Els' junior - birdying three of the first four holes to open a three-stroke lead. A further three birdies pressed home Els' superiority as he shot a six-under 66 to take the title with a score of 18-under-par, finishing four shots ahead of the rest of the field.

Schwartzel put up a magnificent fight during the front nine, responding to Els' early trio of birdies with two of his own to haul himself back to within one stroke of the lead. However, bogeys at the 11th, 15th and 17th saw Schwartzel's challenge fall away as he carded a two-under 70 to take second place.

Padraig Harrington, who had fired himself to within one stroke of the lead during round three, failed to reproduce that magic as an even-par 72 left him tied for third on 11-under. Matt Kuchar and Martin Kaymer finished level with the Irishman, although German Kaymer may well rue a missed opportunity after he reached the turn needing just three more birdies to draw level with Els at the top of the leaderboard.

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell will be hugely satisfied with his tied sixth position after a 66 on Sunday, which saw him finish level with Paul Casey on 10-under. Casey eagled the par-five eighth hole for the second consecutive day on his way to a three-under 69.

Former world No. 1s Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson were left tied for 11th and 14th respectively after sub-par finishes. Singh began the day with an outside chance as he sat five shots off the lead but a two-under 70, hampered by bogeys at the 14th and 18th meant he finished on nine-under-par. Mickelson found his longest driving accuracy of the competition to produce his best round of the tournament, but a four-under 68 could only lift him to eight-under for the tournament.

The English sextet of Luke Donald, Ross McGowan, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher and Simon Dyson were all well off the pace on the final day, although Poulter can at least salvage some comfort out of the fact he produced the round of the tournament to finish on two-under.

Poulter sunk a 54-foot eagle putt at the par-five opening hole to get his day off to the perfect start, and he followed it up with seven further birdies to record an eight-under score of 64. It left the charismatic Briton, who finished level with Sergio Garcia, to wonder what might have been after he started the tournament with a neck strain.

"I'd struggled all week but today I came out, felt good and was hitting it 20 yards further, maybe 30," said the world number five. "It was frustrating to get the start I did, but I feel my golf game is in shape and I can prepare for The Masters the best I've ever prepared."

Rory McIlroy will be pleased to put a disappointing tournament behind him after he failed to hit a sub-par total for the fourth consecutive day, finishing on seven-under. The young Northern Ireland talent double-bogeyed the par-five 10th on his way to a one-over 73 on Sunday, leaving him to contemplate the best way to overcome a back problem that is affecting his game.

"I just didn't have it and haven't had it for the last couple of weeks. I've a few issues to sort out when I get home," admitted McIlroy. "The back isn't worrying me, but it's getting me down. Half of it is probably mental. I'm starting off in a negative mood."

Europeans Soren Kjeldsen, Robert Karlsson and Miguel Jimenez fared little better, finishing on three, five and six-over-par respectively.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices