Jet-lagged US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel went from hero to zero yesterday with a ragged Malaysian Open first round, as Italian teen Matteo Manassero set the pace with a sizzling 66.
The sleepy South African looked a shadow of the man who dramatically claimed the fabled green jacket just four days earlier as he bogeyed the second and third en route to one-over-par 73 at steamy Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
“Yeah — the fact that I didn’t fall asleep,” said Schwartzel, 26, when asked if he could take any positives from his round. “I hit good putts, but I didn’t find the pace on these greens. The only good thing is I didn’t put myself right out of it. I made two-under-par on the back nine, which is moving in the right direction.”
Schwartzel, along with Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, unluckily lost his clubs during the 26-hour journey from Augusta, and did not get them back until 9pm on Wednesday, leaving him unable to practice before his early tee-off.
However, he said there were “no excuses” and hoped to mount a late charge despite the distractions, lack of practice and time-change, which left him tossing and turning in his hotel room.
“I didn’t sleep much. It’s difficult, 12 hours of change. I’m just feeling like I don’t know what out there,” he said. “I’m really struggling to focus, my golf swing is tight. My body’s not responding right now.”
“It would have been nice to be here a day earlier to prepare a little bit better, but I didn’t put myself completely out of it today,” Schwartzel said. “If I can get out go hit some balls and come out tomorrow and shoot a good score, I can still challenge for the title.”
Open champion Louis Oosthuizen shot three-under 69 on the humid, palm tree-fringed par-72, with undulating fairways and super-soft greens — a world away from Augusta’s rock-hard putting surfaces.
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