Els wins a record-setting runaway at Kapalua

South Africa's Ernie Els, caught up in the whirlwind created by Tiger Woods, decided to quit changing his game to try to catch the world's No. 1 player and simply let his own enormous talent take care of the results.

The plan is working to near perfection.

He captured the British Open last summer, his third major championship. He finished the season with an eight–stroke victory in the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.

And in the season–opening Mercedes Championships, Els crushed his competition and set the PGA Tour scoring record in relation to par Sunday, closing with a 6–under 67 to finish the tournament at 31–under par and win by eight strokes.

Would it have been even sweeter had Woods been in the field?

"No, I don't miss him," Els said with a laugh. "He can take another month off."

Woods is recovering from knee surgery and will miss at least the first five weeks of the season. It might not have mattered.

The previous 72–hole tournament record in relation to par was 28 under, set by John Huston in the 1998 Hawaiian Open and matched by Mark Calcavecchia in the 2001 Phoenix Open.

Calcavecchia set the record for lowest score at 256, a number Els might have threatened – even though the Plantation Course at Kapalua is a par 73 – had it not been for two double bogeys earlier in the week and a couple of silly mistakes Sunday.

No matter.

After two close calls at the winners–only Mercedes – one of them a showdown with Woods that took two playoff holes and a miracle birdie by Woods to settle – Els was thrilled to have a lei around his neck, $1 million in the bank and a ticket back to Kapalua.

"I didn't think anything owed me," he said. "But it certainly gave me back this week."

It also made a statement about his game, and established him again as perhaps the chief rival to Woods. Els has won eight times worldwide in the last 13 months.

"I'm not trying to send a message to anybody," Els said. "I'm just trying to prove to myself that I can play well. Let's see where it takes me."

The winner of the B–flight at Kapalua was Rocco Mediate and South Korea's K.J. Choi, who tied for second at 269, eight strokes behind.

Mediate closed with a 10–under 63 and was in familiar territory. He also was a runner–up by eight strokes to Calcavecchia in the Phoenix Open.

"Ernie doesn't miss anything," Mediate said. "He's not missing a part of his game. What is he bad at? Nothing. He drives it 400, chips and putts as well as anybody on the planet, he's a good iron player."

That kind of praise normally is reserved for Woods.

"I don't see a problem with Ernie challenging Tiger for the next however many years he wants to have it happen," Mediate said.

Choi closed with an even–par 73 because he did miss everything on the greens.

Els' eight–stroke victory wasn't as easy the margin indicates. The Big Easy was tentative in the early going, even with a two–shot lead, and the stocky South Korean had a chance to put pressure on him early.

Instead, Choi missed a 2 meter (6–foot) birdie putt on No. 4, a 2.5 meter (8–foot) eagle putt on No. 5 and a 1–meter (3–foot) par putt on No. 6. That boosted Els' lead to four strokes, but he gave it back with a bogey on the seventh and by failing to birdie any of the par 5s on the front.

Choi birdied the 10th and 11th to get the margin down to one.

Just like that, it was over.

It was similar to Saturday afternoon, when Els was poised to take a five– or six–stroke lead, made two mistakes and led by only two.

"Today, it went the other way," he said. "I was just trying to grind it out, keep hitting good shots, trying to stay on top of my game. Doing that just swung it around the other way."

He nearly drove the 336–meter (373–yard) 12th hole, chipping close for birdie. He two–putted for par from about 30 meters (100 feet) on No. 13, while Choi took three putts from 27–meters (80 feet).

Els birdied the next two. Choi three–putted the next two.

Suddenly, the lead was five and the records were in sight. Els was so amazed at the low scores – hardly any wind was responsible for that – that he was at a loss for words.

"I've had some good weeks in my career, but obviously to shoot 31–under par ... I haven't done that before," he said.

Then, the Big Easy broke into a big smile when he realized what he said.

"Nobody has done it," he added.

What's next? Els will go to the Sony Open, and likely will be the big favorite every tournament he plays, at least until Woods returns.

The dlrs 1 million payoff put Els atop the money list – even though it's the first week – for the first time in his career.

He's not worried about that, or about Woods. His goals remain simple.

"I just want to win tournaments that I play, and really play well in the majors," he said. "Those are my goals."

Where that leads is anyone's guess.