Schwartzel captures Spanish Open
Brad Morgan
30 April 2007
Charl Schwartzel captured his second European Tour title, and his first in mainland Europe, when he added the 2007 Spanish Open to the Dunhill Championship he won on home soil in 2005.
It was exactly 50 European Tour events back that Schwarztel won the Dunhill Championship, and Sunday's victory came with a couple of big bonuses. Firstly, it was worth a sizeable winner's cheque of €333 330 and, secondly, it lifted him into the top 50 of the official world golf rankings.
The current strength of South African golf is underlined by the rankings, with Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Trevor Immelman all within the top 15, and Rory Sabbatini, Tim Clark, and Schwartzel in the top 50.
32 holes on the final day
Because of a tournament heavily disrupted by rain, Schwartzel was forced to play 32 holes on the final day, but he kept his cool and his concentration to finish strongly and claim the victory.
It was a
remarkably steady performance from the rising South African star as he broke 70 in every round, carding 69, 68, 68, and 67 for a 16-under-par total of 272 that saw him finish one shot clear of India's Jyoti Randhawa.
Third-place went to home player, Carlos Roldiles, who finished two off the pace on 274, followed by the English pair of Simon Dyson and Mark Foster on 275.
Among the other South African contestants, Louis Oosthuizen finished on five-under-par 283, while Darren Fichardt missed the cut.
Spectacular monster putt
In the final round, Schwartzel pulled clear of his challengers by sinking a 15-foot putt for eagle on the sixteenth. However, that was not the most spectacular shot of his round. That came on the eighth hole where he sank a monster 60-foot putt for birdie.
Randhawa had his chances, but he slipped when he missed a three-foot putt for par on the fifteenth. He managed to match Schwartzel with a final round 67, but
it left him one shot short of forcing a playoff.
Rodiles, too, let himself down. He had a five-footer for eagle on the sixteenth, but failed to hole it, and then he bogeyed the eighteenth to finish with a level-par 72 over the final 18 holes. The Spaniard had entertained thoughts of winning his national open when he took a two-shot lead into the last round.
Cashed in
After his win, Schwartzel identified the sixteenth as the hole where he really cashed in throughout the tournament. He reckoned the three best shots he hit during the event all came on the hole. He said each time he was left with perfect yardage for a three-iron in to the green.
Another factor that contributed to his success, said the South African, was his caddie Ricci Roberts. He previously carried the bag for Ernie Els for 16 years.
The last victory by a South African in the Spanish Open came way back in 1979 when Dale Hayes lifted the trophy. He also won the
event in 1971.
Leaderboard
1. Charl Schwartzel 272
2. Jyoti Randhawa 273
3. Carlos Rodiles 274
4. Simon Dyson 275
38. Louis Oosthuizen 283
67. Darren Fichardt 145
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