South African Ernie Els led from start to finish to claim the 1.3-million-US dollar Heineken Classic at Royal Melbourne today.
The world No.5 fired rounds of 64-69-69 and closed with a three-under 69 to finish with 17-under 271 and beat Englishman David Howell (68-70-70-68) and Australians Peter Fowler (69-70-70-67) and Peter O'Malley (68-68-70-70) by five strokes.
The victory in his fourth tournament of the year gives 'the Big Easy' a springboard for his American campaign in the lead-up to shooting for his first US Masters at Augusta in April. He was second to Fiji's Vijay Singh in 2000.
Els left it to last December to land his first and only individual victory of 2001 at the Vodacom Players' Championship in Cape Town.
"I've played a very great golf course this week and I've felt very comfortable here and these greens are the best in the world," said Els.
"This one was big for me, believe it or not, and I was as nervous as anybody, but these greens compared to the Masters are even faster.
"It's early in the season but this is going to give me some form going into the Masters."
It was the 32-year-old South African's second tournament victory in Australia after winning the 1997 Johnnie Walker Classic at Hope Island in Queensland.
Els took a four-shot lead into the final round and beat off various challenges from O'Malley, Greg Norman and Howell to pocket the 180,000 US winners' cheque.
He was up and down in his outward nine holes with two birdies and two bogeys, but he spreadeagled his rivals with a birdie-eagle at the par-five ninth and tenth holes to go 17-under.
It was left to Fowler and Howell to give chase, but they couldn't get anywhere near Els in the closing stretch of holes and the big South African cruised to victory.
New Zealander Michael Campbell, bidding for a hattrick of titles, came in fifth with a three-under 69 for 11-under 277 with veterans Norman and Nick Faldo tied for joint sixth with Australian Stephen Leaney at 10-under 278.
Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson and Trevor Immelman had the day's best final rounds of six-under 66.
AFP