Ernie Els' bold equipment strategy pays off with another PGA Tour Champions win
Golf legend Ernie Els reveals a fascinating equipment story after going back-to-back on the PGA Tour Champions.
Ernie Els revealed a fascinating story about his irons at the American Family Insurance Championship en route to landing a second consecutive title on the PGA Tour Champions.
Els, 54, said that despite shooting the lowest second round of the tournament (64) with his new set of irons, that he reverted back to his old set of irons ahead of the final round because of the forecast wind.
The four-time major champion went on to card a final-round 69 and that was enough to force extra holes with his playing partner and tournament host Steve Stricker, who also shot 69.
Els trailed Stricker by four shots with seven holes to play, but four birdies in the space of five holes from the 12th saw him pull level with the American.
The pair went back up the par-4 18th, and Stricker would hand the tournament to Els on a plate after three-putting from 40 feet.
Stricker missed a short three-footer for par, and it saw Els seal back-to-back titles on the PGA Tour Champions.
Els, who is now a five-time winner on the over 50s circuit, also won the Principal Charity Classic earlier this month.
The South African now vaults to third in the season-long race for the Charles Schwab Cup.
Canada's Stephen Ames is out in front, narrowly ahead of New Zealand's Steven Alker.
Els' latest win saw him pocket $360,000.
Els, nicknamed 'The Big Easy', will now have his eyes set on landing a first senior major title at the US Senior Open at the end of the month.
After winning the American Family Insurance Championship, Els explained how despite going low with his new set of irons on Saturday that he knew he would not need to teach his old 'gamers' any new tricks while out there in the wind at University Ridge GC in Wisconsin.
Scroll below to hear Ernie's comments...
Els said:
"When the weather was calm, yesterday was kind of rainy, but the wind was down in the first round and I wanted to really put the new irons in play, which I did. But when I saw the wind up on the last day, and I've been playing with my gamers for almost two years, so they kind of know how to play in the wind, you know, didn't have to teach them anything. So I went with the gamers, it was really a no-brainer."
Els, who is a XXIO ambassador, went back to his trusty Srixon Z U85 irons (2-5) and ZX7 MKII irons (6-PW) in the final round.
He also uses a XXIO 13 driver and fairway wood, Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore Tour wedges and a Srixon Z Star XV yellow golf ball. On the greens, he uses a Bloodline Golf putter.
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