Can Charl Schwartzel outshine his rivals at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions?
Although rare, there have been times when a South African golfer has shown brilliance on the golf field.
For years, Garry Player dazzled the golf courses with his amazing shots. His lead was carried on by none other than Ernie Els. Now we see a whole bunch of promising South Africans pulling off surprises here and there.
For the last two years, Charl Schwartzel has been in the mix of things. He won the 2011 Masters and achieved a career high ranking of six earlier this year.
He is also one of the very few players who play on three tours at a time - the PGA tour, European tour and the Sunshine tour.
This year has not been as fruitful for the 28-year-old as was the last year. Nonetheless, he is still in the mix of things.
On the European Tour Race to Dubai standings, he is at the 26th spot and on the PGA Tour, he is already assured of the card for the next season.
With a season coming to a close, the only major event, apart from the Dubai finals, is the WGC-HSBC Champions in China.
Schwartzel has not won a major tournament this year. Could Mission Hills Golf Club be the place where he wins the first title of the 2012 season?
Last year, at the WGC-HSBC Champions, the South African secured a T4 finish with a final round of 65. However, this year, the course has been shifted. Olazabal Course will host this year’s WGC event.
Last year, the player of the year, Luke Donald, was not in the field, which had a big effect on the overall result. However, this year the field for the WGC-HSBC Champions could not be tougher.
Almost all of the world’s top golfers are taking part in this event. The player of the year and the current PGA Championship winner, Rory McIlroy, is also in the field, along with the likes of Tiger Woods and other big names.
Schwartzel certainly has the game and skill to outshine and outclass other players at the Olazabal Course. After all, he is a major winner.
Winning a major requires great character and this WGC event is no less than a major.
The defending champion, Martin Kaymer, will also be lining up for his title defence but probably the toughest of his rivals would be the man in form, Justin Rose.
If the world number 31 really wants to win this year at the WGC-HSBC Champions, then he must start well. Last year, he started off slowly and gained pace in the end but his foot must be on the accelerator from the day one this time around.
There will be guys who will be shooting some low scores and Schwartzel needs to match them. For that, he must ensure that he plays flawless golf throughout.
Schwartzel certainly has the game, skill and character to outshine everybody on the course this year but for that he must start well.
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