Els out hurt, Charl is in

CHARL Schwartzel will make his seventh appearance in the Nedbank Golf Challenge after Ernie Els had to withdraw because of injury.

Els was among the four sponsor’s invites for the December 3 to 6 tournament at the Gary Player Country Club.

“We are sorry to hear of Ernie’s injury; he will be missed at the Nedbank Golf Challenge because he has been such an integral part for so many years,” said Alastair Roper, Sun International’s tournament director.

“At the same time, I’m delighted that we can include Charl Schwartzel in our field. He joins a great list of young South African golfers challenging for their first Nedbank Golf Challenge title this year. And I’m pleased we could include another Major champion in our field.”

Schwartzel joins compatriots Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Thomas Aiken and Jaco van Zyl as the full contingent of South Africans in this year’s Nedbank Golf Challenge.

The winner of three successive Sunshine Tour Order of Merit titles in 2005, 2006 and 2007, heads to Sun City hoping to improve on his best showing of second in the 2012 Nedbank Golf Challenge.

This season, Schwartzel lost a play-off for the South African Open, finished seventh in the US Open, and had solid finishes of tied ninth in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play and tied third in the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour.

Roper also confirmed Scotland’s Russell Knox would be the 29th player in this year’s Nedbank Golf Challenge field.

The final spot in “Africa’s Major” will be taken by the winner of the Alfred Dunhill Championship next week. – Own correspondent