Page 20 - Golf Champion Magazine - April 2023

[PGA TOUR]

ERNIE ELS ERASES FIVE-SHOT DEFICIT

TO WIN HOAG CLASSIC

어니 엘스, 2020년 SAS 챔피언십 이후 호그 클래식에서 첫 승

rnie Els fired a bogey-free, 6-under 65 on Sunday to come too many times out here. You've got to start somewhere.”
Efrom five shots back and win the PGA TOUR Champions
Hoag Classic at the Newport Beach (California) Country Langer was attempting to break his tie with Hale Irwin for
Club, his first victory since the 2020 SAS Championship. most victories in PGA TOUR Champions history (45).
Els, 53, quickly cut into Bernhard Langer’s lead with four Langer, 65, held the lead until a three-putt bogey on the par-
birdies among his first seven holes then added clutch 4 14th dropped him to 11 under. He shot a 2-over 73, which
birdies at Nos. 16 and 18 to take the lead. allowed several players to get into the mix.
Ernie Els' bunker play leads to closing birdie at Hoag Classic “Basically came down to the putter, I didn't putt well,” Langer
“I saw the weather report this morning and it looked like said. “I missed two very short ones and had whatever, a
it was going to get gusty and maybe a little rainy, and that's couple of three-putts. Didn't play too bad, I played good
exactly what happened,” said Els, who also won the Hoag enough to shoot whatever, 1 or 2 under or something, that
in 2020. “So I felt if I could get off to a decent start and get would have done it, but the putter was not good enough.”
myself established and take it from there, and that's exactly One of those players who was in the mix all day was Doug
what happened. I almost played a perfect round. If I didn't Barron, who was in the final group with Langer, trailing
miss that little short little putt on 15, it would have been him by just a stroke. He needed a birdie on the par-5 18th to
fantastic. tie Els, but by the time he reached the hole, rain was coming
“But it's still fantastic obviously winning. Yeah, this is hard down harder and the hole was playing 544 yards into the
scoring. You know, the last five, six holes were tougher than wind.
we normally get it. … Just excited to win again. I haven't won Still, Barron hit his approach from 110 yards to 5 feet. But he

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