TOUR Insider: South Africa has the momentum after last week
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
It's time for golf fans to start keeping a closer eye on the South Africans.
These fellows from the other end of the world are getting real serious about tilting the balance of power on the PGA TOUR. Ernie Els claimed the World Golf Championship-CA Championship last week at TPC Blue Monster at Doral, beating fellow countryman Charl Schwartzel to win for the first time since 2008. And the defending champion this week at the Transitions Championship at Innisbrook is South African Retief Goosen.
There are seven South African-born TOUR members this year, tied for second most with Sweden behind Australia (24) for the most international competitors (England has six). The South African contingent includes Els, Goosen, Tim Clark, Trevor Immelman, Rory Sabbatini, Garth Mulroy and Brendan Pappas. That group has combined to win 31 PGA TOUR events and six major championships.
Goosen will be joined by Immelman and Sabbatini in hopes of keeping the South African momentum going this week at Innisbrook.
"it's nice to see he did well," Goosen said of Els. "I played with him in a practice round (in Doral) Tuesday and Wednesday with Charl, and he was hitting the ball unbelievably well. So it's nice to see that he kept it going for the rest of the week."
The South African pool may have been enhanced last week by Schwartzel's runner-up performance, which likely earned him enough money to qualify for membership on the PGA TOUR. Schwartzel was paired with Els for the final round of the CA Championship -- the first time they had played together in a competitive round in the United States. After the round, Els shook Schwartzel's hand and said, "Congratulations. That's your TOUR card for the U.S."
Schwartzel isn't ready to make that commitment right now. Although he's not playing Transitions this week, he's going to remain in America through the Masters and probably return for The PLAYERS, but is relatively undecided after that. But after his experience at Doral, there's little doubt that Schwartzel belongs.
"Obviously, I'm glad I won, and I'm glad for him that he finished second, not only because I won, but he's got his TOUR card over here now and you guys can really see him in all his glory," Els said.
Els, now 40, has become the father figure among the South Africans -- even though, as Goosen mentioned Wednesday, "He's not that old. He's younger than me."
Even so, Schwartzel stayed with the Els at their home in Jupiter, Fla. (Els joked that had Schwartzel won, the youngster would have spent his final night in the garden rather than the guestroom.) Els called Schwartzel "a really, really straight guy. Doesn't do too many crazy things. He's a hard worker. He asks a lot of questions, which I like. When I was young, I used to ask a lot of questions, too."
Els is the leader of the second generation of South Africans, whose influence began with Gary Player, the game's globetrotting ambassador. Player won nine major championships (and nine majors on the Champions Tour, too) and influenced many youngsters to pick up a set of golf clubs.
"We have won more major championships as a small country than any country in the world post-war, other than the United States, which is quite a feather in our cap," Player said. "I'm sure you'll see other South Africans come along and win in the future."
Immelman is hoping to recover from his physical problems and regain the spark he showed while winning the 2008 Masters.
You can never discount Sabbatini, who has shown the ability to go low at any time, or Clark, who is bound to eventually discount the bridesmaid moniker and win an event.
Goosen came back in 2009 after two poor seasons and showed the form that enabled him to win a pair of U.S. Opens.
Besides Schwartzel, there are other South Africans currently not TOUR members who are worth watching. Richard Sterne won the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the South African Open in 2009.The South African-based Sunshine Tour is producing potential candidates like Keith Horne, Thomas Aiken, Jbe' Kruger, Hennie Otto, and Louis Oosthuizen.
But the flag bearer for South African golf is Els, one of the game's really good guys. Els would like nothing better than to win at Augusta, where he's been runner-up twice. Els was happy to get the victory at Doral, but he's not ready to declare himself the man to beat at Augusta National, where he's missed the cut the last two years.
"You know, two years ago when I won (the Honda Classic), I got all carried away and thought I was going to win Augusta," Els said. "This time I just want to take this in. I've got a couple more tournaments to play before that, so I would like to play well and then when Augusta comes around, it comes around. It's just another tournament."
And when it does come around, you'll probably Els and many of the other South Africans in the conversation when the top turns to contenders. These guys are planning to be a real force for years to come.
Stan Awtrey is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.
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