THE Christian names are Ernest Theodore, but if ever a man was an Ernie it is the golfer who yesterday became the first person to win the Toyota World Matchplay championship at Wentworth in three consecutive years, Ernie Els.

This amiable South African beat the Fijian Vijay Singh by three and two, in front of a large and faithful crowd who trudged their bedraggled way around a soggy and depressing West course, supporting a player who inspires affection wherever he goes.

They were rewarded by seeing history made. No one, not even Gary Player or Severiano Ballesteros, who have both won this title five times, has done the hat trick, and in the aftermath of victory Els set new targets for himself. Asked if he thought he could become number one in the world, he said: "Yeah, I think I can do that. But you've got to win those big ones, win those majors, and you've got to feel you re number one. I have the confidence, I think I'm getting there. After all, I've beaten some pretty good guys here in the last three years.

The final was his ninth successive winning match in this event and the list of his victims reads like a compendium of the world's finest. In 1994 he beat Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal, both then at the peak of their form, followed by Colin Montgomerie in the final.

In 1995 it was Lee Janzen, Bernhard Langer and Steve Elkington while this year he has dismissed Steve Stricker, Mark Brooks and Singh. In that time he has accumulated £500,000 in prize money, £170,000 of it yesterday, he is 63 under par for the three years and is averaging £1,634 per hole played.

He was asked what he would do with it, did he have a shopping list? "I guess I've got to buy a couple of rounds in the bar," said the man who always knows when it is his turn. "I'm really going to enjoy this."

It would be difficult to imagine Singh taking the same view of victory, despite the fact that his first name means just that. The Fijian is a golfaholic, hitting endless streams of golf balls on the practice grounds of the world and showing little sign that there is much else in his life. He has long been one of the best players in the world not to have a major championship, but unlike another such, Montgomerie, he has never sustained a challenge in one for very long.

Yesterday he got off to the best possible start, birdying the second hole and then having the third conceded after Els found the trees. But instead of building on it, Singh bunkered his tee shot at the short fifth and then missed from four feet, saw Els birdie the eighth and then missed another short putt, this time only three feet, at the ninth. The match had been turned around, and Singh was rarely in it again.

Part of the Els appeal is that his wet weather gear is at best nondescript and topped as it is by a baseball cap, he looks like one of the lads - which he is when not playing golf. He also shambles, rather than marches, up to the ball, further increasing the impression of an ambling oaf. But then, as he first of all settles into his stance and then hits the ball, any resemblance to a normal golfing human being ceases.

He has a fantastic range of shots, a great flair and a wonderful putting stroke and while all these qualities are, obviously, not permanently present, sufficient of them usually are for him to be able to win even when not at his best.

Yesterday he recognised as much, saying: "I just played steady. No heroics. As it turned out I was just good enough." He was only four under par for the day - "not good" he said, "but neither was the weather".

The match cent red on four holes around the turn in the afternoon. At the 27th Els, already three up, hit a five iron to a foot, a blow to which Singh responded with a wedge to two feet at the 29th to get back to three down. Then, at the 12th, the turning point, Els hit a rare false stroke, a four iron second deep into the trees and was always, from there going to take at least five.

Singh knew if he could get the regulation birdie he would be back to two down and back in contention. But his one iron pulled up short of the green and his little chip pulled up 12 feet short of the hole. "I gave the tournament away right there," said Singh. "That was the hole," agreed Els, who got his half in five, "I was fortunate to get away with it."

Mark Brooks, who had played so putridly against Els in the semi final, played the last nine holes of his 3rd/4th place play off against Tom Lehman in 33, four under par, to win by one hole.