World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els opened with bogey-free 63 on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead over 2023 winners Thongchai Jaidee, Harrison Frazar and Stephen Ames in the PGA Tour Champions’ Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Matched his low 18-hole score on PGA TOUR Champions (252nd round). His previous 63 was in the final round of the 2021 Dominion Energy Charity Classic
- This is his fourth time leading or co-leading after the first round on PGA Tour Champions. He is 0-for-3 converting those into victories
- The 54-year-old seeks his fourth win on PGA Tour Champions in his 81st start
- Seeks his second win of the 2023 season in his 23rd start. His previous win came in the Hoag Classic from March 17-19
- He enters the week with four consecutive top-10 finishes (T4-T3-T7-T4)
- Looks to become the sixth multi-time winner this season on PGA TOUR Champions, joining Steve Stricker (6), Stephen Ames (4), David Toms (2), Bernhard Langer (2) and Padraig Harrington (2)
- He is making his third appearance at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, his best finish is T5 (2020)
The other South African in the field is Retief Goosen, and he opened with a five-under-par 66 for a share of fifth behind Els.
