DUBLIN, Ohio – Ernie Els always wanted to win Jack Nicklaus’ tournament. He made sure no one else had a chance Sunday at the Memorial, taking only 11 putts over the final nine holes for a 6-under 66 and a four-shot victory.

Tied with Tiger Woods and Fred Couples midway through the final round, the Big Easy took the lead with a chip out of grass that covered his shoes to within 5 feet for a birdie.

Challenged by the Couples along the back nine of Muirfield Village, Els responded with one clutch putt after another, including a 15-foot par save on the 16th hole to keep a two-shot lead.

Els birdied the last two holes from inside 5 feet and finished at 18-under 270. The victory, worth $945,000, also should be enough to move him past Vijay Singh at No. 2 in the world ranking Monday.

“It was a tough week, but a very rewarding week,” Els said after shaking hands with Nicklaus on the 18th green.

Couples kept the pressure on to the very end, matching Els’ birdie on the 17th. But he missed his drive on the final hole and took bogey, dropping him to a 68.

“I was right there the whole time. That’s a great feeling for me,” Couples said. “I was second, but I lost to the best player by far. The back nine, he just turned it on.”

Woods continued to make big strides in his game heading into the U.S. Open. He was flawless on the front nine to give himself a chance, but his best shots down the stretch were to save par. He failed to birdie the final 11 holes for a 69 that left him at 12-under 276.

“I hit the ball very well this week,” said Woods, who has finished third, fourth and third in his last three events. “I’m playing better. This was another step in the right direction.”

After holding off Singh for the last six months in the world rankings, the next challenge comes from his oldest rival – Els – and it could be the strongest of all.

Webb runs away from LPGA field

AURORA, Ill. – Karrie Webb won for the first time this year, playing a bogey-free final round for a five-shot victory Sunday at the Kellogg-Keebler Classic.

The Australian had a two-stroke lead to begin the last round and never faltered, making five birdies in a 67 to finish 16-under 200 and hold off Annika Sorenstam and two others.

It was Webb’s 30th victory on the LPGA Tour, but just her second in the last two years. The 29-year-old who once dominated the tour dropped to 11th on the money list last year – the first time in her career she failed to finish in the top five.

This looked like the Webb of old. She charged to the lead with a second-round 66 and never let up in the 54-hole event, running away from Sorenstam, Siew-Ai Lim and Jeong Jang.

“I got my putter going good, which felt great,” said Webb, who made a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole. “I didn’t make too many mistakes.”

Webb got going with consecutive birdies on the front nine and opened up a four-shot lead over Jang with nine holes to play. On the par-4 sixth, Webb pulled her drive into thick rough but hit a great approach onto the green and made a 20-foot putt for birdie.

The few times Webb found trouble, she was able to escape it without dropping a shot. On the par-4 16th, Webb hit her approach in the sand but came out to 15 feet and saved par.

Webb, a six-time major champion who won Player of the Year awards in 1999 and 2000, earned $180,000 with the victory. It was her first since the John Q. Hammons Hotels Classic last year.

Webb began the day with a two-shot lead over Jill McGill and Seol-An Jeon. Neither posed much of a challenge.

McGill fell apart early, three-putting on No. 1, a par-5, for a bogey and hitting her driver in the lake on 5 for a double-bogey. McGill, who had two eagles in the second round to get in contention, had a final-round 3-over 75 and is still searching for her first win after nine years on tour.

Jeon, a 22-year-old rookie from South Korea, had two bogeys on the front nine and never rallied to finish the round 1-over.

Sorenstam couldn’t make an early run either after opening the day four shots behind Webb. She parred the front nine, birdied the par-4 10th but was six strokes back at that point.

“It was just one of those days where I started out with nine solid pars,” Sorenstam said.

Always a crowd favorite, Sorenstam was still one of the biggest attractions of the final round. She ran away with the inaugural Kellogg-Keebler Classic, winning by 11 strokes. She won by three shots last year.