DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) 鈥� Ernie Els won the Principal Charity Classic on Sunday for his fourth career PGA Tour Champions victory, closing with a 7-under 65 at Wakonda Club to beat defending champion Stephen Ames of Calgary by two strokes.
Tied with Rod Pampling for the second-round lead, Els eagled the par-5 15th and had five birdies in his bogey-free final round. The 54-year-old Hall of Famer from South Africa finished at 21-under 195 for his first victory since March 2023.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very special,鈥� Els said. 鈥淵ou know, I haven鈥檛 won for a while. I鈥檝e had quite a few chances, but it gets tougher when you don鈥檛 get it over the line. So today was very, very competitive. A lot of players, a lot of great players. I just took my chance when it came.鈥�
Ames shot 66. He leads the tour with two victories this season.
Bernard Langer tied for third at 17 under after a 68. Making his fourth start since returning from an Achilles injury, the 66-year-old German star is the tour's career victory leader with 46.
Pampling (69) and David Duval (67) also were 17 under.
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AP golf:
The Associated Press
