Joburg Open 2011: Charl Schwartzel confident of defending title
Charl Schwartzel is not in the mood of losing his title to punters in the Joburg Open 2011, which will kick off on Thursday. The world number 32 has said that once again, the trophy will go to his showcase only.
The South African reached the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club for European tour’s season opener on Wednesday. The 26-year-old seems confident than ever. He has two European tour victories in his bag. He triumphed at the Africa Open at the start
of 2010 and followed it with a 6-stroke victory against Darren Clarke at the Joburg Open.
On Thursday morning, he stepped on the course with sealing confidence. While speaking to the press he said, “Last year was a spectacular tournament, I played flawless golf. Hopefully, I am ready for another high finish.”
This is what the veteran perceives, but the critics suggest otherwise. He was seen struggling with his swings during the South African Open, which sealed the Sunshine and European Tour in 2010.
Despite facing criticism, Schwartzel believes he is mentally prepared for the tournament, which will help him play well. Apart from the mental strength, Schwartzel had a lot of time to ponder over his swings during the two-week break of the European tour.
The rest has revived his energy and geared him up for the most coveted throne of the circuit.
When asked for his comments on the wet terrain of East course, Schwartzel said, “On the 15th hole (on the east course) we played into the wind, so we didn’t reach the rough patch and on a few other holes they were close to tee box so we missed it anyway.
Everyone says the west course is good for low scoring and that was probably the case five years ago, but not anymore. I suppose it is easier if you find the fairways, but if you miss them, it is really tough.”
Schwartzel is correct regarding the difficulty posed by the East course. Therefore, the West course is the area where a lower score can be attained as the roughs and fairways are comparatively shorter.
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