Ernie’s back in business!

Ernie Els won his first PGA Tour Champions event at just the third time of asking, when the 50-year-old South African won the Hoag Classic at Newport Beach Country Club in California.

Els finished with a 67 for a 16-under-par total for 54 holes, for a two-stroke win over Fred Couples, Robert Karlsson and Glen Day.

Els, who lost a play-off at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in January, his first senior tour event, said: “I’m glad to get the first one out of the way. After being in a play-off in Hawaii, I didn’t want to mess this one up. I had a great opportunity and I’m delighted I was able to take it. Hopefully we can move on now and I’ll get more comfortable.”

It was Els’ first victory since the 2013 BMW International Open, a year after he won his fourth major title at the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham.