PROFILE: From farmer's son to Masters winner

By Peter Auf der Heyde Apr 11, 2011, 0:56 GMT

Augusta, Georgia - Charl Schwartzel did most of the things growing up that farm children do, driving tractors and working in the fields.

But unlike most other farm-kids, Schwartzel also learnt to play golf - and that rather well, as his victory on Sunday in the Masters shows.

'My father loved playing golf, and I played my first nine holes when I was 4. Virtually every week I would play with him on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday,' he recalled.

'I would also caddy for him when he played competitions, but I also loved working on the farm. It is a chicken farm on the outskirts of Johannesburg, and it was started by my grandfather and then taken over by my father. It is still in the family.'

Schwartzel, who started the final round at the Augusta National Golf Club four shots behind then-leader Rory McIlroy, birdied Sunday's first hole with a chip shot and from there had no reason to look back.

While the young Northern Ireland player McIlroy imploded to finish with a disappointing eight-over for the day and four-under for the tournament, tied for 15th, Schwarzel was on fire.

A magnificent eagle on the third with a wedge shot from 114 yards put him firmly in contention.

'I did not look at the leader board all the time, but at the turn- around I grabbed the pars with both hands. I knew I could not throw away shots, and at times par is a good score,' Schwarzel said.

'When I came to the last few holes I realized that I needed to make some birdies, as the players ahead of me were scoring.'

The turn-around came at the 15th, where he saw that Australian Adam Scott was leading by a shot.

'The 15th had suited me all week, and I knew that I had to make a birdie if I wanted to stay in the chase,' Schwartzel said. 'I managed my birdie, and then when Adam had a birdie on the 16th, I again had to follow.'

But while Scott parred the two final holes, Schwartzel hit two birdies to end his round on six-under for a total 14-under - giving him a two-shot victory over Scott and fellow Australian Jason Day.

It was Schwartzel's first-ever victory in the US and came in arguably the most important tournament in the country: 'It is not easy to play here, but I was very fortunate in that Jack Nicklaus took the time to go through Augusta with me hole-for-hole.'

Schwartzel plays most of his golf on the European Tour, where he has six victories. His first victory came in 2004, when he won the Dunhill Championship in South Africa.

He followed that with victory in 2007 in the Open de Espana and the Madrid Masters a year later. Last year he won the Africa Open and the Joburg Open and successfully defended his Joburg Open title in January.

His victory on Sunday takes Schwartzel into an elite group of South African players who have won a major. Being only 26, it could well be that the farmers' son, who still loves spending time on his parents farm, will come close again - probably curtailing the time he can spend on the farm.

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