By Doug Ferguson
The Associated Press

HONOLULU - Suddenly, everything is falling for Ernie Els. The last time the Big Easy was in a titanic playoff battle in Hawaii, he must have felt like swimming back to South Africa.

He eagled the 18th hole at Kapalua, birdied it in the playoff, and still lost when Tiger Woods holed a 40-foot birdie putt with 6 feet of break on the second extra hole.

That was the start of a tailspin for Els, who began to question where he had the game to compete with Woods.

"I said back then, the wheel keeps on turning, and eventually you will get your chance," Els said Sunday after his playoff win over Aaron Baddeley in the Sony Open.

The situation was eerily familiar, the biggest difference being the opponent - a 21-year-old Aussie with the nerves and game of a proven winner.

Baddeley forced the playoff with a a gutsy, 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. They matched birdies on the 18th hole in the playoff, and the finish was simply shocking.

Els pulled his drive left of the green on the 353-yard hole - a green he had driven in regulation - and left himself no shot. He chipped through the green and onto the fringe, some 55 feet from the hole.

Baddeley drove into a greenside bunker and blasted out to 20 feet, a clear advantage. He didn't think Els would make his putt, and didn't bother watching until the final few feet, as the cheers grew louders.

Boom! The ball disappeared into the back of the cup.

"It was a heck of a putt," Baddeley said.

Baddeley's 20-footer to extend the playoff trickled to the cup, but hung on the lip - just like Els' long birdie putt did against Woods in the 2000 Mercedes Championships.

He no longer feels like swimming home to South Africa. Instead, Els boarded a plane Sunday night for the Singapore Masters, then is off to Australia for two tournaments.

"I'll probably have a few beers," he said.

He has at least two good reasons to celebrate. Els became the first player to capture the Hawaii Two-0 - both PGA Tour events on the islands in the same year.

Better yet, he became the first player since Steve Jones in 1989 to win the PGA Tour's first two tournaments of the year.

He closed with a 3-under 67, while Baddeley had a 69 to join him at 16-under 264, two strokes ahead of Chris DiMarco (66).

Els earned $810,000 and widened his large lead on the money list at $1.81 million, all while Woods is home in Florida recovering from knee surgery.

"He's probably chomping at the bit to play," Els said of the world's No. 1 player. "I don't know what he's thinking. At the moment, I don't care."

Els was stunned and exhausted.

He expected a battle with Baddeley, and that's just what he got. Starting the day two strokes behind, Els caught him after five holes and never gave up the lead.

That didn't make it any easier.

While Baddeley was spraying his drives, he managed to make pars, and Els didn't make one putt longer than 6 feet - a birdie on No. 4 - until the end.

"I'm disappointed because I had a chance to win," Baddeley said. "But I'm happy because I made Ernie work for it, and I didn't have my A-game today."

The slugfest reached a climax on the 17th hole, and it featured great shots, clutch putts, a measurement on the 18th green and two unusual occurrences.

Those came on the par-3 17th, with Els and Baddeley tied for the lead, pressure mounting on every shot.

Baddeley rolled his long putt from the fringe to 3 feet, and marked his ball. It appeared to be in the line of Els' 25-foot birdie putt, but Els didn't ask him to move the coin.

"His marker was at least this far left at the line I was looking," Els said, holding his hands about 6 inches apart. "Seems like I read it wrong."

The ball was tracking to the cup when it hit Baddeley's coin, hopped in the air and lost just enough speed to come up short.

"He's marking it with an English pound," Els said with a laugh, referring to a coin that is twice as thick as a quarter. "I'll never, ever do that again."

Baddeley stuck to his routine - he reads the putt, strides to the ball and quickly pulls the trigger. He hadn't missed a putt under 5 feet all day.

This time, the door from a nearby portable toilet slammed and caused him to back off. He went through his routine anew, but pulled the putt and caught the left lip for a bogey that left him one stroke behind.

Both had 12-foot birdie putts on the 18th, and Els was lining up his putt when Baddeley's caddie questioned who was away.

PGA Tour rules official Mark Russell was summoned for a measurement - Els by 7 inches. He missed and Baddeley made, sending it to a playoff.

Both made nerve-racking birdie putts on the 18th, then headed to No. 10 where it appeared as though Els was a beaten man.

"I was just trying to stay alive," Els said. "All of a sudden, I win the tournament."

For the moment, life couldn't be better.