What a way to kick off the PGA Tour Champions 2020 season as we had a two-hole playoff to decide the first winner of the season. In the end, it was Miguel Angel Jimenez who took the first win of the season as he defeated Ernie Els, who was making his Champions Tour debut this weekend. It’s Jimenez’s second win at Hualalai and his ninth overall victory on the PGA Tour Champions.
Jimenez birdied the second hole playoff hole after missing two birdie putts at 18 to win it. He ended up shooting a 67 in his final round after shooting a 71 in the second round.
After a rough start in the first round, Ernie Els got back in contention in the last two days by shooting a 65 in the last two rounds. It is also the first time that Els has scored a top 5 finish in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event since the 2016 Quicken Loans National. Not too bad for someone making his PGA Tour Champions debut.
Fred Couples was also in the fight but was eliminated after the first playoff hole missing a four-foot par putt. In his 32 career rounds at this tournament, he has yet to post a round over par. He ended up shooting a 67-68-67 for his three rounds this weekend.
It was a tough finish for Bernhard Langer, who was in contention for most of the final round until he double-bogeyed at 17 after hitting a shot into the rocks. He ended up at a tie for 6th after shooting a 71 for his final round. It was also an impressive run for Retief Goosen in the final round as he shot a 64 to get into the mix.
The PGA Tour Champions is off next week and will be in action on January 31st as the PGA Tour Champions plays in Morocco. It’s the first time that the Champions Tour will be playing on the Continent of Africa.
Final Results *Won Playoff
- Miguel Angel Jimenez -14*
T2
Ernie Els -14
Fred Couples -14
T4
Retief Goosen -12
Wes Short Jr -12
T6
Doug Barron -11
Paul Broadhurst -11
Bernhard Langer -11
T9
Marco Dawson -10
Woody Austin -10
Scott McCarron -10