The Masters: Ranking the 25 most exceptional performances at Augusta
By Bill Felber
T-15: Charl Schwartzel, 2011 Masters, 274 (-14), Std. Deviation -2.42
For three rounds, this tournament appeared to be set up as Rory McIlroy’s breakthrough performance. The 21-year-old budding star from Northern Ireland shot an opening round 65, followed with rounds of 69 and 70, and led four players by four shots entering Sunday’s final round.
Of those four players – Jason Day, Angel Cabrera, K.J. Choi and Charl Schwartzel — probably the least known was Schwartzel, a 26-year-old South African with no previous top 10 finishes in a major.
But when McIlroy faltered Sunday, the final round turned into a mad scramble with eight different players leading or sharing the lead at one point. Following an indifferent front nine 37, McIlroy’s chances blew up on the par four 10 when he took a triple bogey 7. That dropped him out of the lead and set up a three-way tie among Schwartzel, Cabrera and Tiger Woods, all at -10.
Woods fell back with a bogey at 12, but Day joined the tie by birdieing 12 and 13. Then Adam Scott birdied the 14th to take the lead at -11.
With a front nine 34 built on an eagle two at the third hole, Schwartzel performed steadiest, still standing two under through 14. At the 15th, though, he began a four-hole string of birdies that passed Scott and left Day, Woods and all the rest behind.
There was a certain geographical symmetry to Schwartzel’s victory; it came on the 50th anniversary of fellow South African Gary Player’s 1961 victory.
McIlroy closed with a 79 to fall back out of the top 10. He would achieve his breakthrough two months later, winning the U.S. Open by eight shots.