Grinning Charl Schwartzel hopes to retain the green jacket at Augusta National
Last year’s surprise winner of the Masters, Charl Schwartzel will be back at the revered Augusta National again this year, hoping to retain the title and the green jacket, which he considers his most precious possession.
The raging South African surged to the top of the leaderboard on the final day last year, when he took advantage of the dreadful fall of Rory McIlroy in the afternoon.
Pulling in an impressive four straight birdies on the closing holes, Schwartzel broke headlines across the world by landing one of the most celebrated titles of the sport in the world.
He still has fond memories of that evening at Magnolia Lane and hopes to reinvent his top form ahead of the event.
He said, “It’s hard to explain. So many things have happened. You know my golf game, it’s boosted my golf game, made me a better player”.
Schwartzel went over to pull in stunning performances in the rest of the season, carding an impressive joint ninth in the US Open at Congressional, and another joint 12th at the PGA Championship.
For the moment, however, the South African has not carded any impressive finish so far in the season and is hoping to take advantage of his off-the-radar- position.
He added, “It does make a difference. In a way, you feel like you’re being overlooked and you can work under the radar. All the other guys, they apply a lot of pressure on them, and you can go about your business the way you normally would and catch them off guard”.
As easy as it may be to be out of the winning groove, Schwartzel knows it well that he needs to regain his top form in this week’s Shell Houston Open at Redstone Country Club, which is often regarded as the launching pad for the first major event of the year.
Schwartzel will be facing competitors of the likes of defending champion Phil Mickelson, who landed the Shell Houston Open title last year.
The young South African has two top-ten finishes so far in the season and will be hoping to capitalise on his meagre gains on PGA.
Schwartzel will also be the star attraction at the Champions Dinner at the Augusta National Clubhouse before the night of the Masters and says it will be the evening of a lifetime.
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