Ernie Els had to hang tough to record his second successive PGA Tour victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando

Just a fortnight after winning the WGC-CA Championship over the Blue Monster course at Doral near Miami, the 40-year-old South African became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2001 to claim two titles in Florida in one season.

But for the Big Easy, this victory was anything but. His lead had just been cut from five strokes to just two due to a double-bogey at 13 and another dropped shot at 14 when a thunderstorm and torrential rain halted play on Sunday afternoon. Els then had to endure a largely sleepless night before completing his final round of 71 for an 11-under-par total of 277.

“The whole thing changed from being very comfortable to being just as tense as I've been for a long time. When we went for dinner [on Sunday night], I couldn't get the mistakes out of my head and thoughts of what I had to do to win and what the weather was going to be like. I'd let a few players back into the tournament and there was a lot of uncertainty.”

In the end, he managed to hole lengthy putts on 15, 17 (where his ball was plugged in a greenside trap) and 18  to grind out four closing pars and deny Italy's Edoardo Molinari and young American Kevin Na, who tied for second, by two shots.

“I played nervous golf today,” he conceded, after celebrating his moment of victory by exchanging a few laughs with tournament host Arnold Palmer beside the 18^th green. “I really earned this one. It feels special. I think if you're a betting man you would have got really good odds anywhere in the world that Ernie Els would win two tournaments in a row.

“A lot of guys have written me off and probably said it was a fluke in Miami [when he beat compatriot Charl Schwartzel by four shots]. It was hard work this week and I'll have to keep working hard. There are still a lot of flaws in my game that I've got to figure out and get right. I'm never going to play the game perfectly, but I can still improve.”

Els, who now has 18 PGA Tour titles, has certainly improved in terms of consistency this year since opting not to travel so much to overseas tournaments. In seven starts, he has five top-10 finishes. He also leads the FedExCup and scoring average tables.

"I want to make this a special year, especially after these two wins," the three-time major champion added. "But I still have a lot of work left and there are a lot of majors left, and that's going to be fun now."

He admitted to having his mind very much on the forthcoming Masters Tournament when he stood on the tee of the 458-yard 18^th hole at Bay Hill on Monday afternoon.

"It's exactly the same shot [as on the 18^th at Augusta National]," Els said. "I had to hit a little fade and I opened up my body nicely and hit a perfect fade down there. I was just trying to imagine that I had to hit this shot at Augusta."

The affable South African will get that chance the week after next, and he'll be heading to the Masters as one of the favorites even though world No 1 Woods will be making his Tour comeback after a five-month lay-off.

Els' six top-10s in the Masters includes two runners-up spots—behind Vijay Singh in 2000 and Phil Mickelson in 2004—but he refuses to believe that Augusta National owes him one.

"I think I'll jinx myself saying that,'" he said. "But I would say this: I know the history of Augusta pretty well, and there's been a lot of nice stories.

"There's been a lot of cruel ones, thinking of [Tom] Weiskopf and [Greg] Norman and myself, but there's also been some really great ones, so we're still hoping."

The Masters is always at the front of his mind at this time of year. "In practice, you try and get a draw going with your driver, hit high shots with your irons, and try and have your short game very sharp," he said. "That's what I've been doing, and obviously I haven't won for such a long time, and now to be able to feel like I can tee it up and play with these boys, it feels good."

Sandwiched between a visit to his West Palm Beach home to see his family on Monday night and an appearance in the Shell Houston Open later in the week, Els made a quick trip up to Augusta National on Tuesday so that Dan Quinn, who shares  his caddie duties with Ricci Roberts, can see the course.

"If I'm into contention [at Houston] it will be great, and if I'm not that's also fine," Els said. "I just want to have a nice, easy week, play golf and get ready for Augusta."

Some will question the decision to use Quinn, a former NHL player and accomplished celebrity golfer, at the Masters, especially as Roberts  was on the bag at both Doral and Bay Hill.

Els, though, likes Quinn's enthusiasm and discounts his lack of familiarity with the course, saying: "I don't think anybody can tell me anything more about Augusta than I already know."

His knowledge of Bay Hill after 16 appearances in the tournament is equally impressive. He was particularly effusive when asked how he rated the course following changes overseen by Mr. Palmer last summer, particularly compared to the set-up when he previously won at Bay Hill in 1998. “I think it's brilliant and very well designed,” he said. “The shaping is different. It has bigger bunkers with edges flowing through. Some of the new green complexes are very good and offer really tough pin positions.

“For a par-72 course, to yield a winning score of 11-under is pretty good. That's where as a designer you want the winning score to be. As a designer, you don't want the guys to be ripping your golf course apart and I think he's achieved his goal. Anything from 10- to 16-under on a par-72 course means that it's playing tough.

"It was hard work this week, but two wins is definitely special. It can be one of the toughest, cruelest games in the world. And then when you sit here, it's one of the nicest games."