Rory Sabbatini fired six birdies and an eagle to grab the lead after three rounds of the PGA Mercedes Championships in Hawaii.
With Tiger Woods chasing the pack, Sabbatini's bogey-free round saw him overtake his compatriot leader Els, whose par 73 was a shadow of his previous efforts which had seen him surge into the lead at the halfway stage.
Sabbatini, who qualified for the winners-only event by claiming his first career title on the USPGA Tour last season, began the day four strokes behind Els but surged through the Plantation Course with an eight-under-par 65.
At a 16 under 203, Sabbatini finished the day two strokes ahead of Masters champion Vijay Singh and four better than Jim Furyk and Els.
Ranked second in the world to Woods, Els dropped four shots over his final seven holes finishing with a double-bogey at the par-five 18th.
Woods, meanwhile, followed an even-par 73 yesterday with a 68 and was tied for 15th at 211. The American must surely now need a massive effort if he is to successfully defend one of the nine titles he earned last season.
However, Sabbatini refuses to write of the chances of the world number one just yet.
"Everyone knows it's a pretty strong field here," said Sabbatini. "I'm not taking anything for granted.
"Everyone has a bad day or bad week he's still not out of it." -AFP