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Phil Mickelson watches his tee shot on the fifth hole as Tiger Woods waits to play during the final round of the WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club on Sunday.

Els put together a stunning charge on a steamy afternoon, going out in 30 to pull within one shot and taking the outright lead with a birdie on the par-5 14th. He was on the verge of a course record and his first victory in nearly 20 months, leading by one with his tee shot smashed down the middle of the 18th fairway.

His was 218 yards away, his ball on a downslope. Els didn’t think 4-iron was enough, and 3-iron might take him over the green and down the bank into the water. The South African opted to hit a high cut with his 5-wood and “basically duffed it.”

It landed in the middle of the pond.

“But I can’t think about that,” said Els, who started the round seven shots behind. “For me to come back all the way, to actually share the lead at that point, was quite nice. I’m disappointed about that, but I’m going to really think about the 63 I shot.”

He had to settle for a share of the course record, matched earlier by Rory McIlroy, who finished fourth, and Daisuke Maruyama. It was far more meaningful to McIlroy, the 20-year-old from Northern Ireland who has finished among the top five in six of his last seven tournaments to move to No. 2 in the Race to Dubai on the European Tour.

Ryan Moore, who only qualified for the HSBC Champions by winning his first PGA Tour event in August, closed with a 68 to finish third, two shots behind Mickelson. It should be enough to move him into the top 50 in the world.

“That’s my goal every tournament, even just going into the weekend, to just have a chance to be in the mix of things,” Moore said. “And I did that this week.”

Mickelson has won the HSBC Champions twice in three years, while Woods has yet to win. Even sweeter is playing with Woods, although Lefty didn’t realize it was the first time he had won while playing with Woods in the last group.

“It always feels good to win any tournament, but certainly when you have a chance to go head-to-head,” he said. “Although, I know he didn’t play his best today.”