Awesome Els brings house down on Garcia

The British and Irish players may have left town on Friday but the Cisco World Match Play Championship still found a home champion. Ernie Els may have sold his home in Orlando, Florida, to Sergio Garcia but the South African still has houses from Paradise Island in the Bahamas to Fancourt on the Cape coast.

But for half the year Els lives on the Wentworth estate. It was here that his daughter, Samantha, was born three years ago and his son, Ben, just a fortnight ago. It was also in the clubhouse here that he celebrated, with considerable gusto, his Open Championship victory at Muirfield in July.

After a party hosted by Nick Price in Scotland on the night of his victory, Els flew back to Heathrow at dawn the following morning and spent the rest of the day in the bar, which now houses the trophy when the South African is in the country.

There will have been another party last night, nappy-changing permitting, after the estate's most celebrated golfing resident won the World Match Play title for the fourth time by beating Garcia 2 and 1 in yesterday's final. Els now stands one short of the record five titles of Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros.

Els won the title on his first three appearances in the tournament but this was his first victory since 1996. "After the third one I wanted to try and catch Gary and Seve but after I lost to Vijay [Singh] the next year I've struggled to get back into the final," Els said. "If I can, I'll be back next year to try and equal the record.

Els also became the first player since Mark O'Meara in 1998 to win the Open and the World Match Play in the same year. "What more can you for ask for in one year?" Els said. "I've won a major championship, the Open, which was always the ultimate dream in golfing terms.

"To have a son in the same year is wonderful. We have a great family and we have always been happy at Wentworth. It is nice to have a good club to look after you. It means even more to win this tournament now we've lived here for four years."

The gales and rain storms that had been forecast did not materialise but it was cold and drizzly. The final followed a familiar pattern. As in his previous two matches, against Colin Montgomerie and Vijay Singh, Els was never behind and gained an early lead.

Garcia, at 22 the youngest-ever finalist, was used to trailing in the morning. Against Padraig Harrington he came back from four down and against Michael Campbell he overhauled a three-hole deficit.

Over the first 12 holes the only impression the Spaniard could make was with an eagle at the fourth. But with Els out in 30 and adding a birdie at the 11th and an eagle at the 12th, set up by a wondrous two-iron from the right trees and 225 yards from the hole, he was five up. Garcia had said the previous day that as long as the deficit did not reach five or six holes, there was hope. This was his greatest challenge, both numerically and because the placid South African is usually such a good front-runner.

Some players overpower opponents by the force of their personality and, in time, Garcia, impetuous but brilliant, will be one of them. Els is merely relentless. The mistakes were few, but poor drives at the 15th and 16th did hand two holes back to Garcia.

Three down at lunch, Garcia needed a quick start and the first birdie of the week at the first was the perfect start. Another at the sixth brought him back to one down but the Spaniard still hits too many destructive shots at the wrong times. When he pushed his drive at the seventh into a ditch it set a pattern for the afternoon. He lost the hole and then fired at birdie the eighth but pushed his drive at the ninth into the trees to fall two behind again.

A long putt for a birdie on the short 10th put Els three-up and apparently coasting. Not so. He hit a drive on the 13th into a Bunker and lost the hole and then the short 14th when his par putt from above the hole from four feet lipped out.

"It was a terrible stroke and I really felt down then," Els said. "I felt the match could really turn around then. Matchplay is such a crazy game."

The match could not be more delicately poised. The 15th was halved in pars but there was to be a tame end. Garcia pulled his drive at the 16th into the trees and, attempting to hack out left-handed, he put the ball into a ditch. One more hack and he conceded the hole.

The next was a similar story. The Spaniard hooked his drive and though he got a kind bounce off a tree, he was blocked out for his second around the dogleg. His next did not bend and ended deep in the trees on the right. It looked hopeless but Garcia would not give up. He somehow got it out, and then pitched to a foot for a conceded five. But with Els on the green in three and with two putts for the match, Garcia offered his hand.

"It was great fun but Ernie played the best today," said Garcia. Els, 33 last Thursday, marvelled at his opponent's spirit. "In 10 years' time I expect him to be close to a career grand slam," he said. "Today I made the fewer mistakes but he will never show you that he is scared of you. He is not going to back down. He is very positive and likes to let you know it. That's why I think he will go a long way."