Charl Adriaan Schwartzel (/ʃɑːrl ˈʃwɔːrtsəl/ sharl SHWORT-səl;[2] born 31 August 1984) is a South African professional golfer who currently plays in the LIV Golf Invitational Series and has previously played on the PGA Tour, European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He has won one major title, the Masters in 2011. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number six, after finishing in a tie for fourth at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in 2012.

Charl Schwartzel
Schwartzel in 2010
Personal information
Full nameCharl Adriaan Schwartzel
Born (1984-08-31) 31 August 1984 (age 40)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight72 kg (159 lb; 11.3 st)
Sporting nationality South Africa
ResidenceVereeniging, Gauteng, South Africa
Manchester, England
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Spouse
Rosalind Jacobs
(m. 2010)
Career
Turned professional2002
Current tour(s)Asian Tour
Sunshine Tour
LIV Golf
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
Professional wins16
Highest ranking6 (11 March 2012)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour2
European Tour11
Asian Tour1
Sunshine Tour9
LIV Golf1
Other1
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentWon: 2011
PGA ChampionshipT12: 2011
U.S. Open7th: 2015
The Open ChampionshipT7: 2014
Achievements and awards
Sunshine Tour
Rookie of the Year
2002–03
Sunshine Tour
Order of Merit Winner
2004–05, 2005–06,
2006–07, 2010

Early life and amateur career

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Born in Johannesburg, Schwartzel had a dominant junior amateur career in South Africa, and won some amateur events in other countries including the 2002 Indian Amateur and English Open Stroke Play Championships.[3] He played for South Africa in the 2002 Eisenhower Trophy.[3]

Professional career

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Schwartzel turned professional at the age of eighteen and following the path of many other leading South African players, he qualified for the European Tour late that year. He was the second youngest South African golfer to do so after Dale Hayes.[3] He earned enough money to retain his European Tour card in both 2003 and 2004.

In the 2005 season he won the Dunhill Championship,[4] a leading tournament in South Africa that is co-sanctioned by the European Tour, and claimed first place on the Sunshine Tour's Order of Merit.[3] In 2005 he finished 52nd on the European Tour's Order of Merit, and in 2005-06 he again topped the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit. His win at the season-ending Vodacom Tour Championship took him into the top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time.[5][6] His form continued to improve in 2006 and he finished the season placed 18th on the Order of Merit and reached as high as 55th in the World Rankings.[7]

He took first place on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit for the third consecutive year in 2007, and won the Open de España in April, beating Jyoti Randhawa by one stroke, after an eagle at the 543-yard (497 m) par-5 16th hole,[8] and moved into the world top 40.[9]

Schwartzel has played in the Gary Player Invitational several times to help Gary Player raise funds for various children's charities. In 2008, he once again achieved success on the European Tour, by securing victory at the Madrid Masters. [citation needed]

After a winless 2009 season, Schwartzel started 2010 by winning two consecutive tournaments on the European Tour, both held in his native South Africa, and re-entered the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings.[10][11] He finished the season ranked 8th on the Order of Merit.[12]

For 2011, Schwartzel joined the PGA Tour. On 16 January 2011, Schwartzel retained his Joburg Open title winning by four shots.[13]

2011 Masters win

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Schwartzel won the Masters Tournament in 2011 by two strokes to become the third South African winner of the event (after Gary Player and Trevor Immelman). He won exactly 50 years after Player became the first international Masters champion in 1961. In the final round, Schwartzel overcame a four stroke deficit with a round of 66, two strokes ahead of runners-up Adam Scott and Jason Day[14]

Schwartzel started his final round on Sunday by chipping in from off the green at the first hole for birdie and then holed his second shot from the middle of the fairway at the third for eagle. This wiped out the four stroke lead of Rory McIlroy and then he bogeyed the fourth hole to drop one behind. For the rest of the round he maintained this score, until he reached the last four holes where he holed clutch putts to finish with four consecutive birdies, a feat unprecedented in the Masters' 75 years history. It put him back in the lead and he ultimately won the Green Jacket and his first major championship.[15] After the tournament, Schwartzel moved up to 11th from 29th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Post-Masters win career

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Alongside his win at The Masters, Schwartzel also enjoyed success in the year's other three major championships in 2011. He recorded career bests at the U.S. Open where he finished in a tie for ninth and also at the PGA Championship, finishing tied for 12th. He was also in contention at The Open Championship before a third round 75 damaged his chances. He ended the season ranked 4th on the Race to Dubai. [citation needed]

On 9 December 2012, Schwartzel won the Thailand Golf Championship on the Asian Tour for his first victory since his 2011 Masters win. This was also Schwartzel's first win on the Asian Tour as he cruised to an eleven stroke victory over the field.[16] The following week, Schwartzel won in his native South Africa at the Alfred Dunhill Championship played at Leopard Creek CC.[17]

This was Schwartzel's eighth victory on the European Tour, as he secured it with the third highest margin of victory in the history of the tour with a twelve stroke advantage over the Swede Kristoffer Broberg.[18]

Schwartzel defended his Alfred Dunhill Championship in 2013, with a four-stroke win over England's Richard Finch. This took his tally of victories on the European Tour to nine.[19]

Schwartzel won his second PGA Tour event, on 13 March 2016, taking the Valspar Championship on the first hole of sudden-death, after tying Bill Haas at 277 after 72 holes.[20]

On May 31, 2022, it was revealed that Schwartzel would be participating in the first event of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour.[21] Schwartzel would end up resigning his PGA Tour membership.[22] On June 9, Schwartzel along with 16 others, were suspended by the PGA Tour. Since he resigned his membership before the first event, Schwartzel is no longer eligible to compete in PGA Tour events or the Presidents Cup.[23]

In June 2022, Schwartzel won the inaugural LIV Golf tournament, the LIV Golf Invitational London, by one stroke over Hennie du Plessis. His team, consisting of himself, du Plessis, Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen, won the team portion of the event by fourteen strokes.[24]

Amateur wins

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  • 2002 Indian Amateur Open Championship (tied), Brabazon Trophy, Transvaal Amateur Championship (South Africa)

Professional wins (16)

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PGA Tour wins (2)

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Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 10 Apr 2011 Masters Tournament −14 (69-71-68-66=274) 2 strokes   Jason Day,   Adam Scott
2 13 Mar 2016 Valspar Championship −7 (71-70-69-67=277) Playoff   Bill Haas

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2016 Valspar Championship   Bill Haas Won with par on first extra hole
2 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
(with   Louis Oosthuizen)
  Marc Leishman and   Cameron Smith Lost to par on first extra hole

European Tour wins (11)

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Legend
Major championships (1)
Other European Tour (10)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 12 Dec 2004
(2005 season)
Dunhill Championship1 −7 (71-69-70-71=281) Playoff   Neil Cheetham
2 29 Apr 2007 Open de España −16 (69-68-68-67=272) 1 stroke   Jyoti Randhawa
3 12 Oct 2008 Madrid Masters −19 (69-64-66-66=265) 3 strokes   Ricardo González
4 10 Jan 2010 Africa Open1 −20 (67-70-68-67=272) 1 stroke   Thomas Aiken
5 17 Jan 2010 Joburg Open1 −23 (63-68-64-66=261) 6 strokes   Darren Clarke,   Keith Horne
6 16 Jan 2011 Joburg Open1 (2) −19 (68-61-69-67=265) 1 stroke   Garth Mulroy
7 10 Apr 2011 Masters Tournament −14 (69-71-68-66=274) 2 strokes   Jason Day,   Adam Scott
8 16 Dec 2012
(2013 season)
Alfred Dunhill Championship1 (2) −24 (67-64-64-69=264) 12 strokes   Kristoffer Broberg
9 1 Dec 2013
(2014 season)
Alfred Dunhill Championship1 (3) −17 (68-68-67-68=271) 4 strokes   Richard Finch
10 29 Nov 2015
(2016 season)
Alfred Dunhill Championship1 (4) −15 (66-67-70-70=273) 4 strokes   Grégory Bourdy
11 14 Feb 2016 Tshwane Open1 −16 (71-64-66-63=264) 8 strokes   Jeff Winther

1Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour

European Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2004 Dunhill Championship   Neil Cheetham Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 2015 South African Open Championship   Andy Sullivan Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Asian Tour wins (1)

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Legend
Flagship events (1)
Other Asian Tour (0)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runners-up
1 9 Dec 2012 Thailand Golf Championship −25 (65-65-68-65=263) 11 strokes   Thitiphun Chuayprakong,   Bubba Watson

Sunshine Tour wins (9)

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Legend
Tour Championships (1)
Other Sunshine Tour (8)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 12 Dec 2004 Dunhill Championship1 −7 (71-69-70-71=281) Playoff   Neil Cheetham
2 26 Feb 2006 Vodacom Tour Championship −14 (68-70-65-67=270) 4 strokes   Darren Fichardt
3 10 Jan 2010 Africa Open1 −20 (67-70-68-67=272) 1 stroke   Thomas Aiken
4 17 Jan 2010 Joburg Open1 −23 (63-68-64-66=261) 6 strokes   Darren Clarke,   Keith Horne
5 16 Jan 2011 Joburg Open1 (2) −19 (68-61-69-67=265) 1 stroke   Garth Mulroy
6 16 Dec 2012 Alfred Dunhill Championship1 (2) −23 (67-64-64-69-264) 12 strokes   Kristoffer Broberg
7 1 Dec 2013 Alfred Dunhill Championship1 (3) −17 (68-68-67-68=271) 4 strokes   Richard Finch
8 29 Nov 2015 Alfred Dunhill Championship1 (4) −15 (66-67-70-70=273) 4 strokes   Grégory Bourdy
9 14 Feb 2016 Tshwane Open1 −16 (71-64-66-63=264) 8 strokes   Jeff Winther

1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour

Sunshine Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2004 Dunhill Championship   Neil Cheetham Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 2015 South African Open Championship   Andy Sullivan Lost to birdie on first extra hole

OneAsia Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runners-up
1 13 Oct 2013 Nanshan China Masters −9 (71-72-68-68=279) 1 stroke   Darren Clarke,   Liang Wenchong

LIV Golf Invitational Series wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 11 Jun 2022 LIV Golf Invitational London −7 (65-66-72=203) 1 stroke   Hennie du Plessis

Major championships

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Wins (1)

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Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runners-up
2011 Masters Tournament 4 shot deficit −14 (69-71-68-66=274) 2 strokes   Jason Day,   Adam Scott

Results timeline

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Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T48 T30 CUT
The Open Championship CUT CUT T22 CUT CUT
PGA Championship CUT CUT T52 T43
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Masters Tournament T30 1 T50 T25 CUT T38 CUT 3 CUT
U.S. Open T16 T9 T38 14 CUT 7 T23 CUT CUT
The Open Championship T14 T16 CUT T15 T7 T68 T18 T62 CUT
PGA Championship T18 T12 T59 CUT T15 T37 T42 T48 T42
Tournament 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Masters Tournament CUT T25 T26 T10 T50 CUT
PGA Championship T58 CUT T60
U.S. Open T19
The Open Championship NT CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 1 0 1 2 3 5 15 10
PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 3 16 12
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 2 6 13 9
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 1 6 15 8
Totals 1 0 1 2 6 20 59 39
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (2009 PGA – 2012 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2011 Masters – 2011 U.S. Open)

Results in The Players Championship

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Tournament 2007 2008 2009
The Players Championship T58
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
The Players Championship CUT T26 T55 T48 T51 CUT T2 CUT
Tournament 2020 2021 2022
The Players Championship C CUT CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Cancelled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Results in World Golf Championships

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Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.

Tournament 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Championship T18 T43 T35 2 T24 T4 T16 T9 T44 T17 T38 T48
Match Play R32 R16 R32 R32 R64 R32 R16 T18 T17 T36
Invitational T36 T58 T53 T24 T21 T4 T31 T7 T24 T31
Champions T16 T4 T64 T35 T30 T50
  Top 10
  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Team appearances

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Amateur

Professional

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Week 10 2012 Ending 11 Mar 2012" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Athlete Insights: meet Charl Schwartzel". NikeGolf. 14 March 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d "Player Profile: Charl Schwartzel". Sunshine Tour. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  4. ^ "Factbox-Golf-Masters winner Charl Schwartzel". Reuters. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  5. ^ "SA golfers rise in world rankings". 19 April 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  6. ^ "Official World Golf Rankings, Week 8, 2006" (PDF). 26 February 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Official World Golf Rankings, Week 52, 2006" (PDF). 31 December 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  8. ^ "Schwartzel Wins Open de Espana". European Tour. 29 April 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  9. ^ "Verplank Moves Up to 31st in Rankings". Golf Channel. The Sports Network. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2011.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Schwartzel claims one-shot victory in Africa Open". USA Today. 10 January 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  11. ^ "Charl Schwartzel coasts home in Joburg Open". The Daily Telegraph. 17 January 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  12. ^ "Successful 2010 season for Schwartzel sees him finish 8th in Order of Merit". European Tour. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  13. ^ "SA's Charl Schwartzel retains Joburg Open title". BBC. 16 January 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  14. ^ "Rory McIlroy collapse gives Charl Schwartzel the green jacket at Augusta National". The Daily Telegraph. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  15. ^ "Charl Schwartzel wins dramatic Masters title". BBC. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  16. ^ "Schwartzel runs away with Thailand Golf Championship". Thailand Golf Championship. 9 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  17. ^ "Charl Schwartzel wins Alfred Dunhill Championship by 12 shots". BBC Sport. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  18. ^ "Schwartzel happy to end disappointing year on a high". Sky Sports. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  19. ^ "Schwartzel wins Alfred Dunhill Championship for a third time". The Irish Times. 1 December 2013.
  20. ^ "Charl Schwartzel wins Valspar Championship after play-off". BBC Sport. 13 March 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  21. ^ Cannizzaro, Mark (31 May 2022). "Dustin Johnson a surprise in Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tournament field". New York Post. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  22. ^ Doug, Ferguson (6 June 2022). "Mickelson the last to sign up for Saudi-funded golf league". Associated Press. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  23. ^ Schlabach, Mark (9 June 2022). "PGA Tour suspends all players taking part in first LIV Golf tournament". ESPN. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  24. ^ Harris, Rob (11 June 2022). "$4.75M: Schwartzel wins richest golf event amid Saudi outcry". Associated Press. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
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