Palm Harbor, FL …

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel was confident of taking his place in this year’s event after being hit on the left wrist by a golf ball and forced to withdraw from the Pro-Am 10 holes ahead of this year’s Valspar Championship at the Innisbrook Resort.

Schwartzel was struck by one of his amateur partners on the very first hole when the ball bounced off a tree and struck the 2011 Masters champion, causing his wrist to swell and his hand to go numb briefly.

The 2011 Masters winner continued to play before withdrawing after only six holes.

“I’ve played golf for 28 years now and I’ve never been hit by a golf ball until this morning,” Schwartzel said. “It was a bit of a fluke. Really bad luck.”

Charl Schwartzel struck on the wrist during today’s Pro-Am and then withdraws.

With ice and painkillers, Schwartzel was confident he would make his scheduled morning start alongside fellow Masters champion Bubba Watson and reigning Open Champions Henrik Stenson.

“I’m planning on playing, whether I have to limp around or not,” Schwartzel said. “I just hope it’s not something serious because I feel like I’m playing really well. I don’t want to have to sit out because of this silly injury.”

The champion South African is hoping to become the $US 6.3m event’s first back-to-back winner, is especially anxious to get more rounds played with the Masters less than a month away and because his sore left knee has limited his play so far this year.

“I struggled with my knee a little at the end of the year, and it never really got better, so by the time it came to January for my MRI scan, it turned out I needed a longer break,” said Schwartzel.

“That has actually allowed me to be a lot fresher than I think I would have been, to sort out some of my clubs and get some practice done to get my game in shape. I think overall it’s been a good thing. It was nine weeks … and it’s the freshest I’ve ever been.”

Schwartzel missed the cut in Malaysia and last month at Riviera, but challenged for a top-10 finish last week before a closing 75 left him sharing 38th at the World Golf Championships event in Mexico City.

“My game feels in really good shape,” Schwartzel said. “I’m really just starting out my year. I’ve worked hard. Swing really feels good. Putting well. I just need some rounds. I really need to start playing some golf.”

The current World No. 28 won last year in holding off the challenge of American Bill Haas with a par on the first playoff hole.

It was Schwartzel’s first success on US soil since winning the 2011 Masters but then he’s not been without victory having won three Alfred Dunhill Championship titles and last February’s Tshwane Open.

“I’d like to climb the world rankings more this year,” he said. “I’m focused on majors — 2011 is a long time ago.”

Schwartzel said he had expected more wins to come quicker after his major breakthrough but spent nearly five years trying in vain in US events.

“It just never came, and then I went through a bad thing where my swing was a bit off, and I lost a lot of confidence and, you know, you start thinking, ‘Am I actually going to win out here again,'” he said.

Thanks to AFP for extra reporting.