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Our local boy wins the Masters Tournament in USA
11 April 2011 - It was 12:48 a.m. Monday morning in South Africa when Charl Schwartzel sealed his first major title with a birdie on the last hole at the 75th Masters Tournament in Georgia, USA. He carded a final round of 6-under-par 66 and won the Masters by two strokes over Adam Scott and Jason Day. The victory is the first PGA Tour title for the rookie. In addition to a lifetime exemption into the Masters, he's now booked tee times at THE PLAYERS, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship.
Schwartzel won the tournament to become the third South African winner of the event, after Gary Player and Trevor Immelman, doing so exactly 50 years after Gary Player became the first international Masters champion.
He was born in Vereeniging, Emfuleni Local Municipality on 31st August 1984. He had a dominant junior amateur career in South Africa, also having won some amateur events overseas. In 2002, he became the then third youngest player to secure his European Tour card through the Qualifying School, at the age of 18 years and 81 days. He earned enough money to retain his European Tour card in both 2003 and 2004.
His first European Tour victory came at the 2005 Dunhill Championship in South Africa and he was close to retaining the title, when he was tied runner-up behind compatriot Ernie Els at Leopard Creek at the start of the 2006 season. That was the first of three second places that year, which helped him finish 18th on the Order of Merit, his highest placing to date and he reached as high as 57th in the World Rankings.
He took first place on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit for the third consecutive year in 2007, and in April 2007 he won the Open de España, beating Jyoti Randhawa by one stroke, and moved into the world top 40.
Personal
Favorites include filet steak and vacations to Mossel Bay in the Western Cape. Favorite course to play is Leopard Creek Golf Club in Mpumalanga, on the southern border of the Kruger National Park. He says his idol is Angus Buchan, a farmer "who gave his life to God.”
The Executive Mayor of Emfuleni Local Municipality is proud of you!!
The Emfuleni Local Municipality is well behind you, boy!!
Compiled by Khulekani Chili