Ernie Els broke a logjam at the top with an eagle on the par-five 13th hole to take the lead for good as the South African won the Principal Charity Classic at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines. Els finished with a final round of seven under 65 to close the tournament at 21 under.
For Els it was his fourth win on the PGA Tour Champions and his first this season.
After holding the final day lead and coming up short in his last two tournaments Els finally got over the hump.
While Els eagled the 13th, defending champ Stephen Ames missed the green on the par three 14th. He saved par but it was a big turning point as he finished two strokes back in second place.
It was another successful week at Wakonda for Ames. The native of Canada was in search of his third win in four years.
In his first season in the tour Heath Slocum enjoyed his best finish. He shot a final round of five under 67 to finish in a tie for sixth.
Slocum could have challenged for the lead but missed birdie putts on 14 and 17.
