Els grabs early advantage at Champions finale with 63

PHOENIX — The opening round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship saw Ernie Els take the lead with an impressive 8-under 63, propelled by four birdies in the first five holes.

The 35-man field competing at Phoenix Country Club is effectively vying for second place in the Schwab Cup points race, as Steve Stricker has already secured the top spot, having won six times this year. However, Stricker unfortunately had to withdraw from the PGA Tour Champions finale due to a family emergency, with his father being admitted to the hospital in Wisconsin.

Despite Stricker’s absence, he is still guaranteed the $1 million bonus. Meanwhile, Els has the opportunity to surpass this amount with a victory in this week’s tournament, as the winner receives $528,000 and the runner-up in the Schwab Cup earns $500,000.

Regarding his performance, Els stated, “Obviously, we want to finish off on a positive note. Steve did his thing winning the Charles Schwab Cup this year. There’s a lot to play for, take some real confidence out of this last event. The golf course is fantastic so it kind of forces you to bring your game. If you put it in play, you can get a score going, so I was concentrating on that. Let’s see what happens at the end of the week.”

Other notable performances in the opening round included Stephen Ames, recent first-time winner Harrison Frazar, and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, all tied at 65. Retief Goosen and Miguel Angel Jimenez followed closely with a 66.

Bernhard Langer, who entered the tournament as No. 2 on the points list, overcame three consecutive bogeys to finish with a strong 68, including birdies on the last two holes. Els also equaled his best score on the PGA Tour Champions, with a 63 in the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, expressing his desire to secure a trophy at the end of the year.