Els keeps his winning record intact

Ernie Els took his fourth South African Open title in style, carding a final-round 65 to end on 24 under and set a new scoring record for the event in Port Elizabeth.

The South African won by three shots, even though he bogeyed the last hole, after starting the day three shots behind Trevor Immelman. In doing so he won his first title of 2006 and ensured that he has won at least one tournament every year since 1991.

Immelman finished second after a disappointing 73, but the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year was at least able to keep the charging Swede Patrik Sjoland out of second place.

Elsewhere, Van Phillips had a sensational win in the Mauritius Open when he made up eight shots over the closing 12 holes to edge out his English compatriot Philip Price. In a dramatic climax, Price, who had been rock steady, inexplicably four-putted the final green.

In Thousand Oaks, California, a dropped shot on the 16th hole by the tournament host Tiger Woods gave Geoff Ogilvy the lead at the end of the third round of the Target World Challenge. The world No 1 began the round with a one-shot lead and still held that margin over Ogilvy with three holes to play.

But his bogey and Ogilvy's closing birdie meant that Woods went to joint second with Chris DiMarco, who shot a second successive 68.