NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Ernie Els rebounded from a bogey on the par-3 17th with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th to take the lead in the Hoag Classic on a cool, windy Saturday at Newport Beach Country Club.
The defending champion in the event that was canceled last year, Els shot a 3-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over fellow two-time U.S. Open champions Lee Jantzen and Retief Goosen and first-round leader Cameron Beckman.
“It feels like Scotland, doesn’t it?” said Els, also a two-time British Open winner. “It was a tricky day.”
The 52-year-old Southern African played the front nine in even par with a birdie and a bogey, then birdied the par-4 12th, par-3 13th and par-4 15th.