Like fine wine, Els' final round at Doral is vintage

DORAL, Fla. -- A few years back, Ernie Els branched out into the wine business.

His signature line out of South Africa has received warm reviews, and as any fan of red vino knows, some things tend to get better with age.

Els looks like the Ernie of old, with his win over an impressive field at the CA Championship. (Getty Images)

Pop a cork and savor the flavor, because Sunday at the CA Championship was vintage Els.

Turning back the clock, oh, about a decade, Els cruised to his most meaningful and impressive win in six years, holding off young countryman Charl Schwartzel at Doral Golf Resort & Spa to win by four shots at 18-under par.

Given that the feat was accomplished at the biggest event of the year to date, it immediately revitalized the career of one of the game's most important and popular figures after a gradual slide over the past few seasons.

"Obviously, things have been tough, you know," said Ricci Roberts, Els' caddie in 56 of his career victories worldwide. "Obviously it's huge for him. I have said for the last few years, he's still got it in him. I still think he's got two or three more majors in him."

No question, this was major enough for now.

"This means so much," Els said. "I didn't think it was ever going to happen again."

A comparative kid almost ensured it didn't happen Sunday. Pressed throughout the day by the 25-year-old Schwartzel, who is 15 years his junior, Els shot a bogey-free 66 and never blinked. This time, his putter, the bane of his existence for the past two years, actually helped deliver a title instead of costing him one.

The telling blow of the day came on the 14th, when Els made a crucial 24-footer for par, his longest putt of the week by 5 feet, allowing him to retain a one-shot lead. After a two-shot swing on the 17th, Els was actually able to enjoy his walk up the daunting 18th, one of the diciest holes in the game.

"I haven't been making those kind of putts and you have to make putts like that to win golf tournaments at some point," he said. "Luckily for me, I did it on the 14th hole today, and absolutely, I felt a lot better after that. I felt like maybe this one is for me this week."

That feeling was a long time coming, even for a guy with a generally cheery disposition. He may be called the Big Easy, but his slide over the past few years has been anything but enjoyable for the Els camp, as his wife, Liezl, can attest.

"I live with him," she laughed. "He is very driven and as dedicated as he was the day he came out. People, because everyone calls him the Big Easy, it's easy to forget how hard he works."

A former world No. 1, Els will jump 12 spots in Monday's world ranking to No. 8, and that particular metric underscores his slow descent at least as much as his victory totals of late.

Els began 2010 at No. 17 in the world ranking, his lowest position to begin a season since 1994, when he was 20th and had no status on the U.S. tour. He won the first of his three majors in '94 and his future Hall of Fame career was off and running.

Yet as the putts refused to fall over the past two years, Els toppled in the pecking order in converse fashion. He was No. 5 when the 2008 season began, slipped to ninth open last year. Given his slot entering 2010, you don't have to be a computer geek to discern the trend.

The victory drought in the States was becoming a real head-scratcher. Els had one win on the U.S. tour since 2004 and that was against a so-so field two years ago at the nearby Honda Classic. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, watching from behind the 18th green as Els putted out on Sunday, was smiling almost as broadly as the winner himself.

With Tiger Woods scandal still hanging over the game like a cloud, the sport sorely needs its biggest names to step up and help fill the void.

"Huge," Finchem said.

That was pretty close to the word that Els' manager, Chubby Chandler, used to underscore the importance of the day to Els' bruised psyche. Over and over, Els had contended, even at the majors, but had been unable to scale the mountain on Sunday. His final round at Doral was incredibly clean.

"Massive," Chandler said. "That was very complete, wasn't it? You look back at some of his wins and he stumbled over the line at times, but there was no stumbling there, was there?"

Not even close. Els didn't make a bogey. For the week, he ranked in the top five in greens found in regulation and putting, though the latter required a slight scramble of sorts.

After he missed four putts from inside 10 feet on Saturday, Els sent Roberts back to the hotel room before he had even signed his scorecard, to fetch another putter, which Els tossed in the bag and used without a hiccup on Sunday.

It was Els' biggest victory on any tour in at least six years, probably since he won the precursor to this week's event, the 2004 WGC American Express event against a stellar field overseas. He never quite recovered from a serious knee injury sustained in mid-2005 and had won only once in the States in that span.

Giddy or not, Els wasn't making any bold proclamations about the future, having learned his lesson two years ago after winning the Honda Classic.

"I was a bit too cocky," he said.

Still, it's nice to be relevant again -- especially given the spate of major championship sites this year, which already have Els' salivary glands working overtime. In 2000, the two open championships were held at Pebble Beach and Bay Hill, where they return this season. He finished second at the first three majors of the season that year. Moreover, at Whistling Straits in 2004, again the site of the PGA Championship in August, Els three-putted the 72nd hole to miss a playoff by a stroke.

"Just to be back kind of in that group of players who are really performing well, I feel honored to be back in there," he said. It didn't happen by accident. After a poor showing last week in the final round at the Honda, Els went to the range at the Bear's Club near his home in Jupiter and hit balls until the sun went down. He played in a member-guest event at Seminole Golf Club on Monday morning, then went back to the Bear's Club for more range work. For three straight days, he and Roberts worked until they ran out of daylight.

"I want to just enjoy this one. This took so much work to win," Els said. "A lot of people have said that the older you get, the tougher it becomes to win, and that's very true. I'm 40 years old, and you know, it feels like in my 20s I had so many chances and I didn't quite take them.

"Now that you're older, you don't get as many chances, so you've got to try to take them when they come. So this is nice. I'll have a bit more confidence now, I'm sure, but I just want to keep working hard."

Roberts was feeling slightly less constricted afterward, having hoisted a celebratory adult beverage in honor of his boss' breakthrough. To Roberts, this felt just like old times.

Bottom's up, Els fans. You've waited a while for this one.

"It's been a battle the last few years," Roberts said. "But like I keep saying, it [the talent] is always there, and the desire is stronger than ever. To be honest, I think you will see a lot more of him in the winner's circle."