South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel pulled off arguably the greatest finish in Masters history.
The son of a chicken farmer, Schwartzel became the first player to birdie the final four holes and came from four strokes back in 2011 to win the Green Jacket when 54-hole leader Rory McIlroy laid an egg on Sunday. Schwartzel recently filmed a multi-part instruction that is available to subscribers of Golf Channel’s GolfPass on November 10. In the lead up to the Masters, he spoke to Golfweek in this exclusive interview:
Q: I didn’t realize until seeing your new instruction video how many different varieties of putters and putting grip styles you have used to win at the highest level. How many is it?
A: Quite a few. I won putting conventional and what I call the Mark McNulty grip with two fingers down the shaft, I won with the claw grip, I won with an interlock-overlap grip. That one was funny. In 2012, my wife was with me and I watched her hit putts on the practice green. Her hands were really high and she stood close to the ball and she had this beautiful grip. I said, ‘Why don’t I try this?’ I won two tournaments in a row in Thailand and South Africa. I think I won them by 11 and 12 strokes. There might be more.
Q: You’ve also used the arm-lock style of putting that has become quite popular but that some don’t think should be legal. Why is it so effective and should it be banned?
A: I putted with the arm-lock style for two years, but I switched back to the short putter. I think it should be allowed. If it was so easy, everyone would be using it. Short putts are easier when there isn’t much break. On big breaking putts, you’re better off with a short putter.
At Augusta there isn’t one line that makes a putt. There could be a foot of lines depending on the pace. You can choose wherever you feel comfortable depending on your pace. That’s difficult for me with the arm-lock. On flattish greens, I think I’ll still use the arm-lock grip.
Q: Your driver swing speed on Tour is around 117, but you say you can get it up to 126 mph. What are you doing to bring those numbers closer together and gain distance off the tee?
A: I’ve got the speed when I practice on the range but I don’t use it on the golf course. The mentality of my era is oriented to keeping the ball in play and being more strategic. But that style has fallen out of favor because 90 percent of the courses we play now it’s better to bomb it down the fairway – it doesn’t even need to be in the fairway – and the stats show those guys overall play better. For me, it’s a matter of practicing hitting the ball harder.
You take a guy like Bryson and people ask me, ‘Do I think it will last?’ Well, the commitment he puts into it, he practices hitting it hard every day, it is becoming natural for him. Until I get it to feel more natural for me is when I will start hitting it harder on the golf course. The speed is there; I just don’t have the confidence to do it in tournament play.
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Q: Your overall message on the swing is to keep it simple, but there was nothing simple about the 5 iron from over 200 yards you hit at the 16th hole in the third round of the 2014 Volvo Championship – off the cart path to 3 feet. How did you do it?
A: The hardest part was finding the line. It was a blind shot. I picked a spot in the clouds. The shot itself was like a long fairway bunker shot. I kept the club real wide and shallow and picked it off the path. It looked good as it took off. I’ll be honest, it came off better than I thought. There was a little bit of luck involved.
Q: Where does that rank among your best shots of your career?
A: It’s up there but I’d probably say when I holed out for birdie on the first hole of the final round at the 2011 Masters. You could stand there all day long and not hit it on the green let alone in the hole. That was the setup for the whole day. I needed a good start. I hit my approach short and right from the middle of the fairway. I could have easily made double and my tournament is gone. I don’t think you’re coming back from that. I chipped it in to go three back, then Rory makes bogey and it’s anyone’s tournament.
Q: At what point did you realize that Rory was fading and the title was there for the taking?
A: When I stood on the fourth tee, I saw that he made bogey and I made eagle on three and I knew we were all square. I never really looked again, but there were like seven other guys who could win the tournament. Rory’s collapse didn’t come until 10 and then it was anybody’s ball game.
Q: What piece of memorabilia from winning the Masters do you most treasure?
A: Well, I’m sitting looking at the trophy in my house. I treasure that trophy, that’s for sure.
Q: What is your favorite hole at Augusta National Golf Club?
A: No. 12. It’s such an unpredictable hole. It’s where the tournament so many times is won or lost on Sunday. It’s only a 9-iron and you’re standing there with endless doubts – What’s the wind doing? Do I have the right club? – it tests every part of your commitment and your decision making. It’s really an easy shot if you hit it to the left side of the green but nobody wants to do that. We all want to keep it closer to the hole. It’s just a beautiful hole and the atmosphere with the fans sitting so close to you is normally fantastic.
Q: What’s one thing that makes the Masters week special for you?
A: Every time I drive down Magnolia Lane for the first time I get this amazing feeling that I’m back. It’s yet to get old and I don’t think it ever will.
Q: Who do you share a locker with in the Champions locker room?
A: Seve Ballesteros. I’ve played golf with him and met him but when he got ill and passed away was in between my victory in 2011 and the 2012 Masters. I never got to share the locker with him. I got back and they were cleaning out his stuff. It was an emotional thing. He’s such a legend of the game.
Q: What size green jacket do you wear?
A: They gave me a 38 regular. The jacket is too short for my arms and it is slightly too big for me, but I’ve never changed it to the right size. I kept the original that they gave me at the ceremony.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to eat there that week?
A: New York strip, medium, and sweet potato. I love to order that sitting in the Champions locker room.
