“They thought I was a waiter!”
Charl Schwartzel had no qualms when the European Tour asked Masters champion Charl Schwartzel to wear his Augusta National jacket to last week’s ‘Players Award’ night.
The South African joined reigning Major Champions Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer on stage in an historic photograph in the history of the European Tour.
Charl Schwartzel proudly wearing his Augusta green jacket at the European Tour 'Players Award' dinner. (Pic - Thanks to European Tour)
All four being members of the European Tour and all four playing in last week’s BMW PGA Championship.
The black tie affair is the social highlight of the European Tour year.
Except there was just one person in the room not dressed as per the dress code instructions – Schwartzel.
He arrived proudly wearing the most famed item of apparel in golf – his green jacket, and for the 12 months up until his Augusta defence next April, the Springbok golfer can wear the jacket where he likes.
After that Schwartzel’s only allowed to wear the jacket while on the premises at Augusta National.
“I can take it pretty much with me everywhere,” he said to reporter present to cover this week’s Memorial in Ohio.
“If you get to keep it only for a year … you’ve got to pretty much enjoy it. I’m not going to wear it just everywhere, but it’s nice to have a look at it.”
Schwartzel this week contest’s the Jack Nicklaus hosted Memorial tournament in Ohio.
After taking-up PGA Tour membership before his Masters success, this week is only the second time he is competing in a Tour event since Augusta.
And slowly life is getting back to normal for the quitely spoken South African.
“When I got back to South Africa, obviously I gave some time to the media there, and everywhere you went, everyone wanted a little piece of you,” he said.
“Everyone recognizes you, and they wanted to talk. It’s all good, but you don’t have time for yourself.
“But it’s just great to be back and start playing again now. I haven’t been playing too much but my game feels good.
“Of course, winning a tournament like the Masters does change quite a few things but they’ve been all good for me.
“I’ve made a few adjustments and now I want to come out here and win a few more events.
“But since winning the Masters I’ve become more recognisable and it does quite a bit out of me, just there being such a big hype about it.
“Now a month-and-a-half afterwards things are settling down a bit and I feel I can start focusing on my golf again.”
Schwartzel revealed he’s also been touched by some of the letters from the legends of the game who have written to him.
“Mr. Nicklaus wrote me a note in person, in his own handwriting,” he said.
“It wasn’t even typed. The handwriting was really bad (smiling).
“I received it two weeks after the Masters. My father-in-law has a signage business, which they do a lot of work with canvas, and he actually printed it on canvas for me, and I just had it framed.
“I’ve also got a very nice picture of me and Mr. Nicklaus that I took a year ago which I had framed, quite a big one, so I put it next to it.
“So that’s really special to me.
“And Arnold Palmer also sent me a letter, which he signed. They didn’t have to do those sorts of things.”
However while he’s becoming increasingly recognised Schwartzel didn’t count on the startled looks he got from staff at the Soffitel Hotel near Heathrow Airport when he walked into last week’s ‘Players Awards’ night dinner.
