He might have been a relatively anonymous winner, but as the drama of last year’s final round has marinated into Masters Tournament history, let the record truly show that Charl Schwartzel was no accidental champion.
His four birdies on the last four holes were a feat unmatched in the 75 years of the Tournament. His charge from four strokes behind ranks as one of the most stunning on a Sunday in Augusta National history. His 14-under-par 274 total was the lowest score ever by an international player.
Indeed, Schwartzel has clung to his Green Jacket much like he did that leader board, proudly taking the symbol of a victory he called a “life-changing experience” nearly everywhere he went in the past year as he joined Gary Player (1961, ’74, ’78) and Trevor Immelman (2008) as South African-born Masters Champions.
“I never put it in a suitcase. I had it in my hands every time,” Schwartzel, 27, said during a teleconference on Tuesday.
“I wore it I don't know how many times,” he said. “It traveled with me the whole of last year. Basically every single function that we went to, I wore it. I have no idea. I played 36 tournaments last year. I must have worn it more than 20, 25 times at some functions.
“There's something about the jacket. Every single time you put it on, it's a special moment.”
Schwartzel earned his first major championship with an unprecedented Masters flourish, a scorching run that couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment. Those four birdies gave him a 6-under-par 66 and a two-shot victory as he emerged from a leader board that at one point on the back nine showed five players tied for the lead.
Schwartzel started the final round tied for second with Jason Day, Angel Cabrera and K.J. Choi, four strokes behind Rory McIlroy, who seemed preordained to capture the Masters at age 21. But McIlroy’s hook off the 10th tee ignited a crazy chain of events that opened the door for Schwartzel.
“While you're doing it, the last thing you're thinking about is that you've made four birdies,” Schwartzel said. “You're thinking, I'm trying to win the Masters. It never even crossed my mind when I finished that I just made four birdies. I was just happy that I had won my first major championship.”
Schwartzel doesn’t view McIlroy’s final-round 80 as casting a shadow over his victory. If anything, a chip and a Green Jacket on his shoulders might prove a powerful motivator as Schwartzel looks ahead to his third Masters appearance and a chance to repeat this April.
“I don't look into it that deeply. For me, I won. I won my first major championship, and especially the way that I did it,” Schwartzl said. “If you think about it, I still shot 66. [McIlroy] still would have had to have shot 69 to have beaten me. People don't seem to look at that. It is what it is. I'm not a guy that worries about those sorts of things.”
Schwartzel and McIlroy were on the same flight leaving Augusta following the Masters. The two share a friendly relationship, and it showed on their departure.
“What can I say? He was obviously hurting a lot,” Schwartzel recalled. “But the way that he congratulated me, you could see he really meant it. I mean, I really appreciated it.
“I didn't even talk about it. I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to throw it in his face. He came up to me, congratulated me, wanted to take photos with me. He joked, ‘At least the Green Jacket is on the airplane.’ It was a very unbelievable thing of him to do. It shows his character, what sort of person he is. That's why he's obviously having the success he has, it's because of the attitude he's got.”
Schwartzel will make his first 2012 PGA Tour appearance this week at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, and will begin his Masters run-up in March during the Florida swing at the Honda Classic, World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship at Doral, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the Shell Houston Open.
“I had a fantastic year being the Masters Champion,” Schwartzel said. “Everywhere you go you get treated so well. It's just been an awesome year so far. I’m really looking forward to coming back and trying to defend my title.”
