OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Monday 3.00pm.
ERNIE Els found himself on the receiving end of yet another Tiger Woods PGA Tour blitz when he lost the season-opening Mercedes Championship played at Kapalua, Hawaii in a playoff on Sunday.
Woods birdied the second extra hole to beat the South Arican after a riveting final-round head-to-head duel on the picturesque Kapalua Plantation course on the island of Maui.
Both players eagled the 663-yard, par-five final hole of regulation — Woods from 12 feet and Els from 10 — to force the playoff.
They each birdied the hole again to start the playoff.
Woods then sank a 30-footer at the par-four first to become the first player to win five starts in a row on the PGA Tour since Ben Hogan won six in 1948.
”Ernie and I have had some great battles,” said world number one Woods, who collected $522000 for his 16th PGA Tour title.
Woods and Els both carded final rounds of five-under 68 to finish even at 16-under 276, four strokes ahead of defending champion David Duval, who matched their Sunday 68. — Reuters