15 July 2024
Ernie Els added another chapter to his already impressive biography by capturing his first senior major title at the Kaulig Companies Championship, formerly known as the Senior Players Championship.
The 54-year-old South African had five Champions Tour wins to his name but had never previously managed to win one of the four major titles on the over-50s circuit – until now.
Els followed up his third round 64 with a closing 68 on Firestone Country Club’s South Course to finish on 10 under par and pip 2009 PGA Championship winner YE Yang to the title by one shot.
Els, for whom this was his third win on the Champions Tour in 2024, said: “This has been a long time coming on this golf course. Thirty-two years ago, I started playing here at Firestone, but I never got to win here. So this was really great.”
Jerry Kelly, a two-time champion at Firestone, overcame a sluggish Sunday start to shoot 69 and finish alone in third, one shot better than KJ Choi (70) and Steve Stricker (73). Stricker, a six-time winner in 2023, started the final day leading by one and stretched the lead to two, but he fell out of the tournament with a bogey at 13 and a triple-bogey at 14.
The win moves Els into first place in the Schwab Cup standings and earns him a spot in next year’s Players Championship on the PGA Tour.
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