By Ken Brown BBC Sport

Ernie Els bt Sergio Garcia 2&1

I can't say I was surprised at Ernie's win - he has been on top form all week.

He has played the best golf and has never been behind at any stage in his matches.

It really has been a terrific performance by the South African.

This year's triumph has probably been Ernie's greatest yet

The conditions were a pleasant surprise, given the forecast, and I don't think they had as much bearing on the contest as predicted.

As the match entered the final stages, it did become a little cold on the hands.

And that helped Ernie because he could afford to be a little more conservative. Sergio, on the other hand, had to go for it.

Ernie was three up at lunch although such a leads is not that convincing after 18 holes.

In matchplay - and with a golfer like Sergio - anything can happen.

To be fair to the Spaniard, he tried hard to put the pressure on Ernie.

He was very aggressive and used the driver a lot, although I thought his approach was a bit cavalier at times.

But that is why he is an exciting player to watch.

His main weapon is his drive.

Generally he hits it long and straight, but on Sunday there were a couple of wayward shots, on the ninth and sixteenth in particular, and those sort of shots let him down.

Els was in top form all week

By the time he reached the final few holes, his drives were falling in all sorts of awkward places - and that meant he was gifting holes to Ernie.

Don't get me wrong, Sergio played a lot of good golf - he would not have reached the final oherwise - but he was up against a man who was on song.

Ernie was on his home course, putted beautifully all week and always played the percentages to perfection.

He showed not only that he is a top golfer but that he is an outstanding match player.

Head-to-head, his record in the World Match Play is probably second to none now.

And this year's triumph has probably been his greatest yet.