Schwartzel seals 11th European Tour title success with Tshwane Open win
PRE-TOURNAMENT favourite Charl Schwartzel cruised to victory in the Tshwane Open to claim his 11th European Tour title and an eighth on home soil, despite admitting to some “iffy” moments.
Schwartzel held a one-shot lead heading into the final round and carded a closing 63 to finish 16 under par at Pretoria Country Club, eight shots ahead of Denmark’s Jeff Winther.
Winther surged through the field thanks to a 64 as the expected challenge from rising South African stars Zander Lombard and Haydn Porteous failed to materialise.
Lombard began the day just a shot behind Schwartzel but double-bogeyed two of the last three holes in his 74 to finish 12 strokes adrift, while Joburg Open winner Porteous struggled to a 73.
“It was fantastic,” Schwartzel said at the trophy presentation. “I played really well the whole week. I thought today was a bit iffy at stages but the difference today was I putted really well. The first three days I was as blind as a bat. The last day I was eagle eyes. I couldn’t miss.”
Schwartzel put that change down to working with visual skills coach Dr Sherylle Calder, who has previously had success with Ernie Els and the South African rugby team.
“I spent a lot of hours on the putting green the last few days and working with Sherylle last night we definitely found something,” the 31-year-old added. “When you’re playing badly you start doubting yourself but today I was a lot better, I trusted myself more and my eye-line was a lot better.”
Schwartzel made the ideal start with a birdie from 18 feet on the second, only to bogey the third after a wayward drive finished behind a tree and meant he could only find a greenside bunker with his approach.
However,
the former Masters champion responded with birdies on the sixth and seventh and then holed from 10 feet for an eagle on the par-five ninth for the second day in succession.
The world number 43 dropped a shot on the 11th after a wild tee shot and was lucky to get away with another on the par-five 12th, but any lingering doubt about the outcome was ended with a birdie from 40 feet on the 14th.
“I was four ahead after nine and I thought one under on the back nine should be good enough,” added Schwartzel, who also birdied the 16th from long range and the last from five feet. “But then I went ahead and made a bogey on 11 and it felt close again. After I made the putt on 14, the par three, then it gave me a lot of breathing space.
“The golf course, even though it’s old, it makes you think so much. It gives you so many options and it doesn’t matter which option you take, if you don’t pull the shots off it’s going to lead to a bogey. It’s a really good test.”
Scotland’s Jamie McLeary was one of just three non-South African players inside the top 12, the 34-year-old finishing joint seventh after an eventful closing 69 which featured six birdies, one bogey and two double bogeys.
Defending champion George Coetzee had to settle for a share of 14th on one under after a back nine of 39 in his final round of 71.