Charl Schwartzel’s record fourth Alfred Dunhill Championship win could herald return to form of a big talent
The future looked bright for Charl Schwartzel back in April 2011, when the South African won the Masters, his first Major, at the age of 26 with a finishing sequence of four consecutive birdies.
His closing round contrasted sharply with that of Rory McIlroy, who shot an 80 in that infamous Sunday collapse at Augusta, and I expected big things from Schwartzel in the next few years.
I have always loved his style but he hasn’t gone on to achieve as much as I thought he would, and as much as he perhaps should for a player with such a fantastic swing.
At times he has looked like he wasn’t enjoying it out there, which is a worry when you can play as well as he can. But then he has gone through something of a barren patch.
That ended on Sunday when, after almost two years of toiling, Schwartzel ended his drought by winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek for a record fourth time.
In the end he won comfortably by four shots from France’s Gregory Bourdy, despite suffering a couple of bogeys on the front nine and signing for a two-under-par round of 70.
It made him the youngest South African to win 10 European Tour titles, a mantle he inherited from the great Ernie Els – a very good achievement – and has lifted him back into the world’s top 35.
More Majors will be his target now and, having seemingly lost his way for a while, this might just be the start of Schwartzel’s return to contention for golf’s biggest prizes.
It was also a landmark week for Matt Jones, who enjoyed the biggest win of his career on home soil at the Australian Open.
Jones had to hold off Jordan Spieth to do so, and although Jones could only manage a two-over-par 73 it was enough to stay one shot in front of the formidable world No1.
Victory earned Jones the bonus of a place at next year’s Open at Royal Troon, and he’s a player of whom I know his compatriot and former pro Wayne Grady speak very highly.