• Schwartzel: ‘It’s about time’

    Charl Schwartzel
    Hard work paying off

    Charl Schwartzel is aware that the job is far from over after moving into contention with a scintillating 63 on Friday at the PGA Championship, writes WADE PRETORIUS.

    READ: Stones sets himself up for big weekend

    Schwartzel’s play was electric before afternoon storms halted play. 

    A par, par finish meant that the 33-year-old fell one short of tying countryman Branden Grace’s Major championship low round record. Grace’s 62 recorded at last year’s Open Championship was in danger from Schwartzel and two-time US Open champion Brooks Koepka in the second round before both finished with 63s.

    ‘I’m looking forward to playing on the weekend and competing in a Major,’ he said after moving into the top five at Bellerive Country Club.

    ‘It doesn’t get better than that.

    ‘It’s a good position to be in and there’s a lot of holes to be played. I think on this golf course, you’re going to have to keep firing. Most Majors, the weekends get difficult, but I think this course, you’re going to have to keep shooting birdies.’

    For a few months, the 2011 Masters champion has seen intermittent patches of form but has maintained an unwavering belief that the process would lead to the right results.

    ‘It’s about time. There’s been ups and downs and I just feel like I’m starting to play a better golf game.

    ‘In the practice rounds, I thought, “you’ve got a good chance of shooting a low score”.

    ‘I was hitting a lot of drivers. If you’re hitting it down in the fairway with the way the greens are designed, you can get the ball to about 15 feet on almost every hole.

    ‘I think this morning was very scorable. I drove it decently well for me and my iron play has been really good. So I gave myself just a lot of chances. I felt like I was putting for birdie on pretty much every hole.’

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