South African Charl Schwartzel, Ernie Els share CA Championship lead | Golf

MIAMI — Charl Schwartzel has been looking up to Ernie Els for as long as he has been around golf.

Schwartzel was a toddler when his father and Els played together in a team event they won at a local club in South Africa. He remembers going to his first golf tournament, the Million Dollar Challenge, to watch the Big Easy. He became an affiliate member of Els' foundation, traveling with the team of junior golfers.

"He was like my big hero," Schwartzel recalled Saturday.

The dynamics have changed dramatically at the CA Championship, a World Golf Championships event at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral.

His hero stands in the way of Schwartzel shining on a world stage.

Schwartzel, 25, ran off four birdies in the opening six holes and shot a 5-under-par 67 in the third round. Els, a three-time major champion with 60 victories worldwide, shot a 2-under 70 to join Schwartzel in a tie for the lead at 12-under 204.

Els, 40, has rarely been so desperate to win. He is coming off a season in which he failed to win anywhere in the world for the first time since he was a 20-year-old playing his first full year as a pro.

He has rarely been so pleased with a guy he is trying to beat.

"I think it's a wonderful, cool story," Els said. "It's great for South African golf, obviously. A 25-year-old really making his mark this year. He's won twice. He's a force to be reckoned with. And I think it's great. Tomorrow, we shake hands and play 18 holes as hard as we can. He is going to try and win. I'm going to try and win."

Els looks at Schwartzel as a little brother, and he showed that earlier this month when Schwartzel was hanging around Florida between the two WGC events. Els took him into his home.

"I fed him well. I gave him good wine," Els said. "So he owes me, big time. I think he had a great week."

Schwartzel qualified for this elite event by winning consecutive weeks in South Africa to move into the top 50 in the world; he is No. 35.

Padraig Harrington (67) of Ireland was at 11 under.

Other tournaments

• Chad Collins chipped in for an eagle on the par-5 second hole to top the Puerto Rico Open leaderboard at 9 under before second-round play was suspended because of darkness in the rain-delayed PGA Tour event in Rio Grande.

Collins was 6 under through 11 holes in the second round. The tournament, which was to end Sunday, will stretch into Monday because of the rain delays.

Paul Stankowski, Jeff Overton and Jhonattan Vegas were at 8 under.

Kirk Triplett, a Pullman High School graduate, was tied for 30th place at 3 under. Jeff Gove of Seattle is tied for 73rd place at even par and Alex Prugh, a former Washington Huskies player from Spokane, was tied for 87th at 1 over.

As the Caribbean sun helped dry the course, some iguanas were spotted in the thick tropical brush or on rocks.

• Yani Tseng of Taiwan won the Women's Australian Open in Melbourne. She had birdies on seven of the last 12 holes for a 7-under 66 and a three-stroke victory over 2009 winner Laura Davies (71).

Tseng had a 9-under 283 total. Third-round leader Karrie Webb (74) settled for third at 5 under.