Els glad to overcome front nine blues

Ernie Els could not believe how he managed to claim his third consecutive Heineken Classic victory after an astonishing collapse at Royal Melbourne.

The South African lost his eight stroke lead in just nine dramatic holes before recovering to edge out Adam Scott by one shot in a dogfight down the home straight.

In the end, Els finished a record-breaking week on 20-under-par to retain his title, but had to wait until Scott's final putt of the day to be certain of a wire-to-wire victory.

Els said: "I don't know how I brought it back, but I did. It was like I had never played this game before on the first nine and then I played the back nine as well as I could. It was a tough day.

"It's a win and a record score (for the course). I think on the back nine, when it really counted I put my head down and I played.

"It is definitely not the way I planned it. I just had to adjust on the back nine to the emotions going through me and the way the tournament was going.

"When I look back on it in a day or two I will feel good about it. Right now I am just happy it is over."

Four bogeys and a triple bogey sent him tumbling back onto 16-under. Suddenly Els was level with Scott. It was the first time since the 11th hole of the opening round Els had lost the outright lead and he was beginning to despair.

"You're thinking crazy stuff. It was like I had never played this game before on the first nine," he said.

"It was kind of laughable out there. You're a little bit off your game and every time I was off, I found myself in an impossible spot, I had an impossible lie."

Els managed to arrest the slide and carded four crucial birdies to secure a two-shot cushion on 20-under-par by the 14th hole.

That was eventually Els' winning total, but Scott kept the pressure on, and sunk a 25 foot putt on the 17th to move within one shot.

Not for the first time today, Els was left smiling ruefully as the tournament came down to the final hole, and then the final putt.

"He did everything perfectly," said Els. "He played a very mature game, I made the mistakes and he played a mature game. He hung in there. He is a great temperament and a great swing. He has a big future."