Slices of good fortune pave way for Els
Els carded a final round 65 for a 17 under total of 267 at Crans-sur-Sierre to claim the £185,000 first prize and increase his lead at the top of the Order of Merit.
The world number two finished six shots ahead of New Zealand’s Michael Campbell with overnight leader Eduardo Romero of Argentina a shot behind in third.
Romero was hoping to become the oldest ever winner on tour at the grand old age of 49, but was the only player in the field not to card a single birdie as he struggled to a closing 74.
Defending champion Robert Karlsson, Italy’s Emanuele Canonica and Scot Andrew Coltart were the first players to earn Ryder Cup qualifying points in joint fourth on nine under.
Els’ fourth win on the European Tour this season was not achieved without two major slices of good fortune however, and the South African was grateful to one spectator in particular.
A wayward drive on the 12th hole was heading into trouble when it struck the spectator on the head and bounced back on to the fairway.
A huge bump was quickly visibly on the man’s forehead and Els winced visibly when he saw the damage he had caused. “I saw him on the course and said I’d see him afterwards and buy him a beer,” said Els, who was presented with the champion’s red jacket by model Cindy Crawford.
“I haven’t seen him yet but if he e-mails me I’ll definitely send him something because he really helped me as the ball was heading way left.”
By then Els was three shots clear of the field after wiping out his two-shot overnight deficit with a stunning opening salvo of four straight birdies.
His first stroke of good luck then came at the fifth when his second shot clipped the trees in front of him and ended up in the woods and resting next to a bench.
He was entitled to a free drop from there and then claimed further relief because advertising boards where between him and the green, eventually ending up with a clear shot to the hole.
Els is now hot favourite to finish the year as European number one for the first time but still intends to miss the season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama.
“My basic stance is the same,” added Els, who increased his lead over Darren Clarke at the top of the Order of Merit to £420,000.
“There is still a lot to play for and a lot can happen. I wish the World Matchplay would count toward the money list (he has won it four times at Wentworth), but if I play the way I should I should be fine.”
Victory for one of the European players this week would have seen them earn more than a quarter of the money with which Phil Price secured the last Ryder Cup qualifying place two years ago.
But with non-Europeans filling the top three places, Karlsson, Coltart and Canonica earned just 67,946 points each.
Sergio Garcia, hoping to qualify automatically for the team this time and free up a wild card pick for captain Bernhard Langer, had to settle for 18,920 points (one point equals one euro won) after a final round of 70 left him in joint 19th.
And Colin Montgomerie, confident of qualifying via both the points table and world ranking list, collected only 14,480 after a closing 71 gave him a share of 26th.
The Scot cut an unhappy figure for most of the week, mainly due to the news that club suppliers Hogan, with whom Montgomerie signed a multi-million pound deal last year, were being bought out by Callaway.
Montgomerie switched from Callaway to Hogan after the Ryder Cup and is understood to be very concerned about what the takeover will mean for his future.
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