PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Ernie Els was part of another final-round blunder. Only this time, he was the beneficiary.
Ending nearly a four-year drought between PGA Tour victories, Els shot a 3-under 67 Sunday to win The Honda Classic. He finished at 6 under, one shot better than Luke Donald (71) and two ahead of Nathan Green (67).
But this final round will probably be best remembered for Mark Calcavecchia's chip that wouldn't stop, because that ultimately was the break Els needed to finally hoist a winner's trophy once again.
“It has to feel even sweeter, you know, losing so many tournaments and one now going my way,” said Els, who snapped an 0-for-47 streak in PGA Tour events, dating to the 2004 American Express Championship in Ireland.
Els and Calcavecchia were tied for the lead as the sun began setting on PGA National. Calcavecchia hit into a greenside bunker at the par-3 15th and his shot from the sand looked fine when it hit the green.
Somehow, it never stopped rolling.
The ball came to rest on a rock ledge across the green. Calcavecchia walked over, tossed the ball into the water and made a double bogey to give Els the outright lead.
“It just didn't grab and just kept rolling and rolling and rolling,” said Calcavecchia, a two-time Honda winner. “And that was it.”
Els made a cool par on the par-5 finishing hole, then waited to see if anyone would match his score. Donald made a 35-foot birdie at the 16th to get within one, but got no closer, although his birdie chip on the last hole stopped just shy of the cup.
With that, Els stopping hitting balls and slipped on his watch, basking in a winning feeling again.
“To win over here, it's been really my goal,” Els said. “So it's a great feeling.”
Els got $990,000 for his 16th career PGA Tour victory, along with the huge shot of confidence that he's sought for so long. Plus, he'll jump a spot to third in the world rankings, passing Steve Stricker. No, this isn't enough for him to catch Tiger Woods.
But he's at least a step closer in his three-year plan to challenge the world's No. 1 player.
“That's as good as I probably could have played in the final round,” Els said. “So it was very satisfying.”
Calcavecchia (73), Robert Allenby (70) and Matt Jones (73) tied for fourth, three shots back. Brian Davis, who was at 10 under earlier in the week and led at the midway mark, shot his second straight 73 and finished in a five-way tie for seventh, four shots off the winning score.
“Didn't go my way,” Calcavecchia said. “Wasn't my time.”
Els wasted a four-shot, final-round lead in a European tour event in Dubai earlier this year, when Woods roared past him for a victory. Els made a colossal mistake on the 18th hole that day, splashing his approach into the water after trying to pull off a spectacular finish. At Hilton Head last year, he was denied when Boo Weekley chipped in twice in the final holes. And last year in his native South Africa, Els made a triple-bogey 8 on the finishing hole to blow what seemed like another cinch victory.
But this time, a smooth, steady finish - a Big Easy finish, if you will - got it done.
But this final round will probably be best remembered for Mark Calcavecchia's chip that wouldn't stop, because that ultimately was the break Els needed to finally hoist a winner's trophy once again.
“It has to feel even sweeter, you know, losing so many tournaments and one now going my way,” said Els, who snapped an 0-for-47 streak in PGA Tour events, dating to the 2004 American Express Championship in Ireland.
Els and Calcavecchia were tied for the lead as the sun began setting on PGA National. Calcavecchia hit into a greenside bunker at the par-3 15th and his shot from the sand looked fine when it hit the green.
Somehow, it never stopped rolling.
The ball came to rest on a rock ledge across the green. Calcavecchia walked over, tossed the ball into the water and made a double bogey to give Els the outright lead.
“It just didn't grab and just kept rolling and rolling and rolling,” said Calcavecchia, a two-time Honda winner. “And that was it.”
Els made a cool par on the par-5 finishing hole, then waited to see if anyone would match his score. Donald made a 35-foot birdie at the 16th to get within one, but got no closer, although his birdie chip on the last hole stopped just shy of the cup.
With that, Els stopping hitting balls and slipped on his watch, basking in a winning feeling again.
“To win over here, it's been really my goal,” Els said. “So it's a great feeling.”
Els got $990,000 for his 16th career PGA Tour victory, along with the huge shot of confidence that he's sought for so long. Plus, he'll jump a spot to third in the world rankings, passing Steve Stricker. No, this isn't enough for him to catch Tiger Woods.
But he's at least a step closer in his three-year plan to challenge the world's No. 1 player.
“That's as good as I probably could have played in the final round,” Els said. “So it was very satisfying.”
Calcavecchia (73), Robert Allenby (70) and Matt Jones (73) tied for fourth, three shots back. Brian Davis, who was at 10 under earlier in the week and led at the midway mark, shot his second straight 73 and finished in a five-way tie for seventh, four shots off the winning score.
“Didn't go my way,” Calcavecchia said. “Wasn't my time.”
Els wasted a four-shot, final-round lead in a European tour event in Dubai earlier this year, when Woods roared past him for a victory. Els made a colossal mistake on the 18th hole that day, splashing his approach into the water after trying to pull off a spectacular finish. At Hilton Head last year, he was denied when Boo Weekley chipped in twice in the final holes. And last year in his native South Africa, Els made a triple-bogey 8 on the finishing hole to blow what seemed like another cinch victory.
But this time, a smooth, steady finish - a Big Easy finish, if you will - got it done.
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