DORAL, Fla. — For maybe the first time in his life, Charl Schwartzel found himself rooting against Ernie Els.

Els had a 25-foot par putt on the 14th green. Miss it, and he and Schwartzel — two South Africans, the final pair at the CA Championship — would be tied for the lead with four holes left. Make it, and Schwartzel would stay one shot behind the guy whose swing he tried to emulate for years.

"There's always a turning point," Schwartzel would say later.

Sure enough, that was it.

Els hit the par putt just hard enough to get it into the bottom of the cup, Schwartzel could only smile as he walked to the 15th tee, and he never had a good chance at catching his hero again. Els ended up running away to win the CA by four shots, finishing at 18-under 270 after a flawless final round of 66 at Doral.

"He's still like a 15-year-old in my eyes," the 40-year-old Els said of his 25-year-old playing partner Sunday. "He seems so young still. And he's already got so much experience. But it just felt awkward. Him trying to win the golf tournament. I'm trying to win the golf tournament. I'm the old man. He's the youngster. So it was a little different."

Els became only the fifth player with multiple victories in the World Golf Championships, joining Tiger Woods, Darren Clarke, Geoff Ogilvy and Phil Mickelson. It was his 61st victory worldwide, his 17th on the PGA Tour.