Ernie Els clinched his second consecutive victory on the PGA Tour Champions, capitalizing on a missed putt by tournament host Steve Stricker during a playoff at the American Family Insurance Championship.
Els and Stricker, sharing the second-round lead, both scored 3-under 69 in challenging, windy conditions at University Ridge, ending at 12-under 204. They each birdied the par-5 16th and parred the last two holes, setting the stage for a nail-biting playoff.
On the first hole of the playoff, Stricker missed a 2 1/2-foot putt, handing Els the championship. Stricker, last year’s winner at his hometown event, expressed his disappointment, ‘He feels bad winning like that and I feel bad giving it to him like that. But he played well.’
Els, a 54-year-old Hall of Famer from South Africa, acknowledged the tough competition, ‘You’ve got to just play proper golf and you’ve got to make some putts at the end of the day. I feel a lot better with my putting. Playing with Steve Stricker, you feel like you don’t putt very well.’ This victory follows his recent win at the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa, marking him the first player to secure back-to-back wins on the senior tour since Stricker achieved it last year.
With this win, Els now boasts five senior tour titles. Reflecting on his form, he shared, ‘I know I’m putting well, I’m striking it good. I’m just hanging in there and trying to get my chances where they come.’
Cameron Percy from Australia finished third with a 9-under 67. Doug Barron (66), Stephen Ames (67), and Thomas Bjorn (69) trailed closely at 8 under.
Steve Stricker, who has 18 Champions victories but none this year, was left reflecting on the narrow miss. Els, meanwhile, continues to dominate the senior circuit with his stellar form.
Source: Espn
