On Sunday in Des Moines, Iowa, “The Big Easy” made things look easy.
Ernie Els, known for his sweet, simple swing, won the Principal Charity Classic on the PGA Tour Champions, marking his fourth career win on the senior circuit.
Els was tied with Bernhard Langer and Vijay Singh at 16 under when he made the turn, but the four-time major winner dominated on the back nine, scoring two birdies on the 11th and 12th holes before drilling an eagle on the par-five 13th to pull away from the pack.
“Getting that eagle at the end of the back nine was the key,” Els said.
“I was leading by two strokes.”
Els added another birdie on the 15th hole to extend his lead heading into the final round, finishing with a 7-under 65 and winning at 21-under par.
“It was very competitive today,” Els added.
“There’s a lot of players out there, a lot of great players out there. When I had my opportunity, I took it. I kept playing well on the back nine, 11, 12 and 13. I got the lead and got a birdie on 15 and hung on until the end. It was very competitive.”
Photo: David Berding/Getty Images
Meanwhile, Langer shot an incredible 9-under 63 on Saturday to put himself in contention for the win. He recently returned to the PGA Tour Champions after recovering from an Achilles injury, which made his play even more impressive. He continued his strong form on Sunday with an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole. Langer further improved his position with birdies on the eighth, 11th, 12th and 13th holes.
But he suddenly dropped off at the 14th and 15th holes, where he made two bogeys and nearly wiped out any chance of a surprising victory given the injury he suffered in early February.
Still, Els’ win was his first since winning the Hoag Classic for the second time in March 2023.
“It’s pretty special because I haven’t won in a while,” Els said.
“We had some chances but when you can’t get over the goal line it makes it that much tougher.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
