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Charl Schwartzel is optimistic that his Valspar Championship victory on the US PGA Tour can inspire his fellow South African professional golfers to win more events on golf’s most demanding stage.
Schwartzel secured his first trophy in the US last Sunday since his triumph at the 2011 US Masters.
He beat American Bill Haas in a play-off at the Innisbrook Resort at Palm Harbor, Florida, to win $6.1 million (R94 million). This feat also pushed him to the 21st spot on the latest world rankings, which means he may still surprise as an inclusion on the SA team for the Olympics this year, where the world’s top-20 players will try for medals for their countries.
Competition is so stiff on the tour that Mzansi players often find themselves struggling to cope with the pressure on US fairways, mainly due to the high standard of golf being played there.
Before Schwartzel’s victory, Tim Clark was the last local player to triumph on the tour when he took the RBC Canadian Open title at Royal Montreal in 2014 (see box).
Since then, the going has been tough for local players, who have only been excelling on the European and Sunshine tours.
Schwartzel, however, believes his victory will be a motivation factor for his countrymen. If he could do it, why not them?
“Winning the championship lifted my fighting spirit. I hope this will encourage fellow South Africans campaigning in the US to collect more trophies there,” said Schwartzel.
He believes that, unlike their good record in Europe would suggest, many players from South Africa struggle to make a mark on the US stage because of a variety of factors, including competing on courses whose layouts are more difficult to play.
Schwartzel now feels he is in great shape to compete again at the Masters, which will get under way at the hallowed Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia from April 7.
Five years ago, he birdied the final four holes to card a six-under-par 66 and beat the field by two shots, with a 14-under-par total of 274.
Schwartzel says he is as ready as he’s ever been to wear the prized green jacket once more.
“I feel confident about winning this major for the second time. My golf swing is back and this makes me feel great on the greens,” he says.
Schwartzel’s victory was his third in his last six starts after winning twice in European Tour events back home.
He won the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the Leopard Creek Country Club in Malelane, Mpumalanga, by four strokes in November. His other notable achievement recently was when he captured the Tshwane Open title at the Pretoria Country Club in Waterkloof last month by eight strokes.
