Kuala Lumpur: South African star Charl Schwartzel enjoyed a pro-am round at the Maybank Malaysian Open on Wednesday in the regal company of the Queen of Malaysia and he hopes it will provide the impetus for him to be crowned king of the event.<\/p>\n
The 2011 Masters Tournament champion was delighted and honoured to play with Her Majesty, Tuanku Hajah Haminah bt Hamidun at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, saying \u201cwe had some fun out there.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cHer Majesty is a fantastic lady and we had a great time. She\u2019s a good player. The golf course is pretty long for her but she hits it nicely. She was very friendly and we had some fun,\u201d said Schwartzel ahead of the US$2.75 million showpiece which is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.<\/p>\n
The South African is among an elite cast which includes world number three Luke Donald, multiple Major winner Padraig Harrington, 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open winner Matteo Manassero and Asia\u2019s leading stars including Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, Gagajeet Bhullar and Jeev Milkha Singh of India, Liang Wen-chong of China and Bangladeshi Siddikur.<\/p>\n
Schwartzel, ranked 17th in the world, hopes his third straight visit to the Maybank Malaysian Open will be a lucky one. He finished sixth last year which was his best result in the tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as you play well each round and not do what I did last year – shoot a bad one, you\u2019ll be up there. You need to keep ticking over and shoot three or four under every day to have a chance on Sunday. I just want to play consistently, as I have been doing, and give myself a chance. It would be very nice to lift the trophy,\u201d said Schwartzel, who ended his 2012 season by winning the Thailand Golf Championship and Alfred Dunhill Championship on home soil.<\/p>\n
He knows a win in Malaysia will be the ideal preparation for him to reclaim his title at the Masters Tournament next month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like to put a lot of expectation on myself because it creates a lot of anxiety. I know I\u2019m playing well and if I play the way I have been, then I can compete in any golf tournament. There are so many good players out there you\u2019re not going to win every week, but if you\u2019re there every week you\u2019re going to break through more often,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the same thing for the Masters. I don\u2019t have to prove myself because I\u2019ve won there. I know if I play the way I can play then I\u2019ll definitely be competing. That\u2019s the aim.\u201d<\/p>\n
Italian sensation Manassero, who hopes to replicate his winning performance at the 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open, tipped his hat to Malaysian amateur Gavin Kyle Green, who he played with in the pro-am and is paired with in the opening two rounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a really nice guy and plays really well. He\u2019s got a strong game and it was nice for me to play with a very good amateur in the pro-am. But it was better for him to get to know me and maybe take a little bit of pressure off tomorrow. We spoke about the course and strategies. He hits it 40 yards further than me so he doesn\u2019t need much advice!\u201d<\/p>\n
At the age of 19, Manassero has won three European Tour titles but he does not want to be compared to current world number one Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who he defeated to become the youngest Maybank Malaysian Open champion in 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t compare myself to Rory. I wouldn\u2019t want to at all \u2013 we\u2019re very, very different. But I expect to improve. It\u2019s obviously been great since I turned professional and I\u2019ve achieved things year after year without stopping, which isn\u2019t easy. If I win another event this year, it\u2019ll be another great year. It\u2019s very early in my career and, while I must be proud of what I\u2019ve done, I want to keep improving.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kuala Lumpur: South African star Charl Schwartzel enjoyed a pro-am round at the Maybank Malaysian Open on Wednesday in the regal company of the Queen of Malaysia and he hopes it will provide the impetus for him to be crowned king of the event.<\/p>\n
The 2011 Masters Tournament champion was delighted and honoured to play with Her Majesty, Tuanku Hajah Haminah bt Hamidun at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, saying \u201cwe had some fun out there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world-golf-news"],"yoast_head":"\n