SA golf legend Ernie Els wins first Major on senior tour

South African golf legend Ernie Els won his first Major on the senior golf tour when he triumphed at the Kaulig Companies Championship in Akron, Ohio on Sunday.

Els, who turns 55 on 17 October, has now won six titles on the PGA Tour Champions.

On the regular PGA Tour, he won 19 titles, including two US Opens and two Open Championships, and he is already enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

But this was Els' first Major championship triumph on the over-50s tour.

At Firestone Country Club's South Course, Els shot two-under 68 on Sunday to finish at 10-under 270, edging South Korea's YE Yang by a shot.

Securing a spot at Sawgrass!@TheBig_Easy claims his first senior major @KauligChamp. pic.twitter.com/OPqIzuDERg

With this victory, Els also became the first player to get to three PGA Tour Champions victories this season and it catapulted him to No 1 in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup standings.

"This has been a long time coming on this golf course," Els told the PGA Tour Champions website. "Thirty-two years ago, I started playing here... but I never got to win here. So, this was really great."

Winning the Kaulig Companies title, formerly called the Senior Players, also puts Els in the field next March for his 25th career appearance in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

He will also participate in this week's Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Final Leaderboard from @KauligChamp ??

1. @TheBig_Easy (-10) ??
2. Y.E. Yang (-9)
3. @JerryKelly13PGA (-8)
T4. @KJChoi_Golf (-7)
T4. @SteveStricker
6. Kenny Perry (-6)
T7. @MWeirsy (-5)
T7. Steven Alker
T7. Michael Wright
T7. @RobertKarlsson