Heineken Classic: Els cruises to emphatic win
Ernie Els cruised to a five-stroke win in the Heineken Classic at Royal Melbourne.
Four ahead at the start of the final round, the South African twice saw that trimmed to two - first by Greg Norman and then by Swindon's David Howell.
But birdies at the seventh and ninth and an eagle at the long 10th - an exact repeat of the third round - effectively ended the race for the €212,958 first prize.
Having opened with a 64 to lead by two, Els stretched that by a shot each day with three successive 69s to close on the 17-under-par total of 271.
Howell finished joint second with Australians Peter Fowler and Peter O'Malley, while New Zealander Michael Campbell, winner the last two years, was fifth and Nick Faldo joint sixth with Norman and yet another home player, Stephen Leaney.
It was the second successive week that an Australian tournament has been dominated by a South African. Last week's Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth was won by Retief Goosen by eight shots.
