Player Profile: Charl Schwartzel

On Sunday, the South African Charl Schwartzel was victorious at the Thailand Open, marking the ninth professional victory of his career. This week's player profile highlights the recent career milestones of this precision golfer as he returns to the winner's circle after a winning drought of almost two years.

Schwartzel, who grew up in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, enjoyed a successful amateur career which began when he was in his teens. His list of amateur titles includes several championships in South Africa, as well as the 2002 Indian Amateur and English Open Stroke Play Championships. Schwartzel turned professional later that year, at the age of eighteen.

Following his debt on the European Tour, Schwartzel steadily consolidated his technique as he retained his tour card in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. On the eve of the 2005 season, the young South African won the co-sanctioned Alfred Dunhill Championship in his home city, Johannesburg, to card his first victory on the European Tour.

Since his first win on home soil, Schwartzel has gone on to win a total of nine professional tournaments around the world, including one major title. The South African won the US Masters in 2011, after a string of victories on the European Tour which include the Open de Espana and the Madrid Masters. Schwartzel has performed extremely well in co-sanctioned events held in South Africa, having won the 2010 Africa Open and the 2010 Joburg Open, which he won twice, repeating his victory in 2011.

On Sunday, Schwartzel won his ninth career tournament when he beat Bubba Watson and Thitiphun Chuayprakong by a massive 11 stroke margin to lift the trophy in Thailand. Having broken a 20-month winning drought, the young South African will be a player to watch as he continues his successful career in the 2013 season.

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