Charl Schwartzel pegged at sixth place – Nedbank Golf Challenge
Charl Schwartzel’s best world ranking has been no. 6, and coincidentally, that is also the place he finished yesterday’s Nedbank Golf Challenge round 1.
His driving accuracy, at a not-so-convincing 64.29%, was an overall downer, for someone who really knows how to put yards between the ball and the pin.
His round 1 driving distance has been 277 yards and that, after a day’s work, looks rather well up the leaderboard.
Speaking of the leaderboard, let us hover about it a tad bit longer. Schwartzel was Out at 35, bogeying once on hole eight, and two birdies on holes four and nine.
By the end of the eighteenth hole, he had carded a total of 72 that, tied him at the sixth place with Martin Kaymer.
The Vereeniging-based Schwartzel did not find himself too hard pressed by day’s end here at South Africa.
Bill Haas of USA and the Dutch Nicolas Colsaerts, breaking free of the chasing pack, were able to score a 70, only a two-point lead over the Schwartzel-Kaymer tie.
Defending champion Lee Westwood, bereft of lordship, was left stranded with the remaining ten players of the twelve man field. At the time round one ended, he had managed to card an even par on eight holes, ending at a total of 71.
Given Westwood’s performance, it will only be fair to assume that South Africa’s home favourite will work on his putting harder.
“Fine performance here should follow his impressive top-five finish at the South African Open,” commented certain golfing enthusiasts. “It his consistent form that suggests good things ahead of this week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City”.
Charl Schwartzel is not just a powerful golfer. His character reeks of power too.
When he was asked how his life had changed given his victory at the Masters 2011, his reply was testimony to just that, “To be honest, I hope that I didn’t change as a person”.
A journalist, in an event that followed the game, added “What is it about South Africans? I’m waiting to meet a guy I don’t like. You have a nice demeanor, you’re gentlemanly and nice to be around”.
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