Charl Schwartzel is now South Africa’s sixth-best player after he dropped four places to 85th in the world, following Monday’s release of the Official Golf World Rankings.
It’s been a miserable year on the course for Schwartzel, who has at times found signs of returning to his best, but has just four top 10s to his name. The last of those came at the end of July as he struggled for the all-round consistency of years gone by.
He heads to the SA Open at Randpark this week as one of the field’s elite players thanks to his Masters triumph, but finds himself well down the pecking order according to the rankings.
After beginning the year in 33rd place, he now sits behind Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Dylan Frittelli, Shaun Norris and Justin Harding; the latter climbed nine places after finishing fourth in Mauritius.
- Harding banked R760 591 for his Anahita work
The form of Schwartzel and Harding could not have contrasted more during 2018, with Schwartzel dropping 52 places, and Harding rising from 712 to his current standing of 81st. Harding, who grooved his game at Stellenbosch Golf Club, picked up two Sunshine Tour wins before striking gold on the Asian Tour, where he notched up a further two victories.
The consolation for Schwartzel, who was T41 in his last outing at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, is that his place in the year’s first Major is guaranteed for as long he wishes. However, with his ranking’s arrow continually in the red this year, he will need a solid run in South Africa if he is to work his way into 2019’s lucrative WGC fields.
There again lies another comforting scenario in wait for him, with Leopard Creek hosting next week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The event has treated the 2011 Masters winner kindly, as he holds the tournament record of four wins. A further four second-place finishes only adding to his stellar body of work at the famed venue. Just the place where his revival could yet ignite.
Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
