/ 18 April 2000

HARD-LUCK ELS REMAINS WINLESS

SOUTH Africa’s Ernie Els was handed a beating on Sunday when American Stewart Cink came from four strokes behind to win the $3-million PGA Heritage Classic in Hilton Head. Els, the two-time US Open champion, was hoping to win his eighth US PGA title and first since last year at Los Angeles, but instead became the sad story of the day, disintegrating as the round wore on. He began the day 10-under par and at one stage held a four-stroke lead over Cink. The South African was 14-under at the seventh, but for the rest of the journey he shot five over. Cink fired a final round six-under par 65, including a birdie on the 18th, to finish at 14-under par 270 and collect his second PGA victory following a 1997 Greater Hartford Open victory. Former British Open champion Tom Lehman finished second at 272 after a final-round 65. Els, who was second last week at Augusta, and Fijian Masters champion Vijay Singh shared third along with England’s Edward Fryatt and Americans Davis Love, Larry Mize and Dan Forsman.