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Three on the trot for Schwartzel
Brad Morgan
27 February 2007
Charl Schwartzel's decision to pass up a first-round showdown against Ernie Els in the WGC Accenture World Matchplay Championship by playing in the Telkom PGA Championship proved to be a good one as he achieved his goal of winning the Sunshine Tour's Order of Merit for the third year in succession.
By finishing third to Louis Oosthuizen in the season-ending tournament at Country Club Johannesburg at the weekend, Schwartzel became the second player in history to win the Order of Merit three years in succession, emulating a feat previously achieved by Mark McNulty.
By topping the Order of Merit once again, the 22-year-old secured places in the British Open, the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, the CA Championship at Doral, and the Nedbank Challenge at Sun City.
'I've achieved what I wanted'
"I'm happy with my decision to stay on. I've achieved what I wanted," said Schwartzel.
Oosthuizen, who won with a
22-under-par score of 266 after rounds of 67, 65, 69, and 65, picked up a winner's cheque of just over R356 000, and places at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and HSBC Champions later this year.
His victory was also a great gift to self as Oosthuizen is set to tie the knot on Friday.
With his win, he also secured second place on the Order of Merit behind Schwarztel.
'My game has really changed'
Looking back over his recent run of good form, which included his maiden win on the Sunshine Tour in the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Sun City, Oosthuizen said: "Over the last three weeks my game has really changed. It's changed he way I think on the course and the way I approach a tournament. Pulling that one off really made the difference."
Now, he says he is confident of doing well in Europe, which is where he is heading after his honeymoon.
Richard Sterne, the winner the previous week after a playoff at the Vodacom Championship,
finished second, one shot off the pace on 267. His score included a brilliant third round in which he blistered the course with a scorching 10-under-par 62.
Order of Merit top finishers
Sterne's runner-up finish saw him finish the season in sixth spot on the Order Merit despite playing only six events. Just ahead of him, two-time Order of Merit winner Darren Fichardt took fifth, Andrew McLardy was fourth, also in only six tournaments, and Hennie Otto took third from 18 outings.
The top five players all topped the R1-million mark in earnings.
Branden Grace, the top-placed amateur finisher in the SAA Open in December, underlined his potential by again turning in the best score by an amateur, finishing on 14-under-par 274 after rounds of 65, 68, 70, and 71.
Telkom PGA Leaderboard
266 - Louis Oosthuizen 67 65 69 65
267 - Richard Sterne 66 68 62 71
268 - Charl Schwartzel 69 64 70 65, Marc Cayeux (ZIM) 66
67 65 70
270 - Desvonde Botes 64 70 71 65, Doug McGuigan 70 68 65 67
271 - Des Terblanche 70 66 67 68, Bradford Vaughan 70 65 65 71
272 - Michiel Bothma 67 69 66 70, Justin Walters (ENG) 68 70 64 70
273 - Thomas Aiken 70 68 64 71, Darren Fichardt 68 66 67 72, Andrew McLardy
65 66 64 78
274 - Hennie Otto 70 67 68 69, Branden Grace (AMA) 65 68 70 71
Sunshine Tour Order of Merit
1. Charl Schwartzel, R1 585 117.41 (7)
2. Louis Oosthuizen, R1 314 739.00 (8)
3. Hennie Otto, R1 274 339.64 (18)
4. Andrew McLardy, R1 239 925.62 (6)
5. Darren Fichardt, R1 160 182.00 (13)
6. Richard Sterne, R861 668.00 (6)
7. Mark Murless, R793 618.23 (24)
8. Adilson da Silva BRA, R711 288.92 (25)
9. Alex Haindl, R682 398.23 (24)
10. Titch Moore, R521 079.61 (15)
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Charl Schwartzel: another emerging star in a long list of talented South African golfers |
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Golf courses in South Africa
Our climate is ideal for spending time out on the fairways, and when it comes to courses, golfers here are blessed for choice. 
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