Charl Schwartzel has revealed a case of mistaken identity when he attended the European Tour’s Players awards night at the Soffitel Hotel near Heathrow last week.
The South African joined reigning major champions Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer on stage for an historic photograph, proudly wearing his Augusta National Golf Club green jacket - all four being members of the European Tour and playing in the BMW PGA Championship.
It was a black tie affair but Schwartzel was the only guest not wearing the apppropriate dress code.
“The staff at the hotel were a little alarmed. They thought I was a waiter!” Schwartzel revealed at this week’s US PGA Tour event - The Memorial in Ohio.
He also explained that for the ten months up until his Masters defence next April, he can wear the jacket whenever he likes. After that Augusta protocol demands he’s officially only allowed to wear it around the Georgia club’s premises.
“I can take it pretty much with me everywhere,” he said. “If you get to keep it only for a year, you’ve got to enjoy it.”
He says that slowly life is getting back to normal since his epic victory where he finished with four successive birdies.
“When I got back to South Africa everyone wanted a little piece of me,” he said. “It’s all good, but you don’t have time for yourself.
“Now it’s great to be back and start playing again. I’ve made a few adjustments and now I want to win a few more events.”
Schwartzel revealed he’s been touched by some of the letters from the legends of the game.
“Mr. Nicklaus wrote me a note in person, in his own handwriting,” he said. “The handwriting was really bad but my father-in-law had it printed it on canvas for me, and I had it framed.
“It sits next to a big picture of me and Mr. Nicklaus that I took a year ago. Arnold Palmer also sent me a letter, which he signed. They didn’t have to do those sorts of things.”
