Luke Donald speaks highly of Charl Schwartzel for his meteoric finish in Masters last year
Charl Schwartzel may have yet to reach the stardom of his career and still has a long way to go claim the world number title, current world number one Luke Donald, however, is all praise for the young South African.
Speaking ahead of the coveted Masters next month, Donald spoke highly of the perseverance and composure Schwartzel showed to bag the first major title of his career last year.
Season is warming up for the 76th edition of the Masters at the revered Augusta National at Magnolia Lane, as the top-50 in the world are gearing up for their bid for the first major title of the season.
Donald is among the aspiring players in the field who will be hoping to bag the elusive title in his career.
Donald said, “I think in a way Charl has a similar personality to me. He’s kind of a quiet guy who just goes about his business, and because of that in some ways maybe he didn’t quite get the credit that he deserved for his win”.
Schwartzel came from behind on the final day of the event to replace Rory McIlroy from the top of the leaderboard.
He pulled in an amazing spree of four consecutive birdies on the closing holes to claim the first major title of his career.
Donald added, "But what he did last year was pretty amazing – I don’t think anyone’s ever birdied the last four holes to win the Masters".
"To do that under pressure to win your first Major is something else, and if he’s on that kind of form again this year, he’ll be tough to beat".
Donald remained in contention till the last moment of the final round and had to suffer a setback when his reckless approach on the 12th rolled into the greenside bunker.
He finished for a joint fourth, his second highest finish in the event.
Schwartzel, on the other hand, still relishes the moments when he was bestowed with the green jacket by the former champion Phil Mickelson.
Schwartzel utilised the confidence gained from the Masters win and carded several strong finishes for the rest of the year, although he was not able to bag the title.
Donald is also in top-form with his recent win at Transitions Championship on the US PGA Tour two weeks ago, where he toppled the newly crowned world number one McIlroy to reclaim the throne.
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