Charl Schwartzel

When Schwartzel won the Masters in 2011 as a 26-year-old, it was assumed that he was on his way to new heights, but in the decade since, he's struggled to find the next level. He did have an impressive 2016 season when he won for the second time on tour and made nearly $3 million, but his performance started to decline after that season. It bottomed out in 2019 when he managed just $232k in earnings. However, he fought his way back to relevancy in 2020-21 when he earned more than $2.2 million. Is this a sign that he's back? Maybe; he's always had a lot of game, he was just unable to play consistently at a high-level. Whether he's back is a bit irrelevant concerning the salary cap question as his number is just too high for this season.

Coming back from a wrist injury, the 35-year-old played in only 12 events, missing seven cuts. But he two top-5s, showing the potential to return to his former ways is possible, at least on occasion. Schwartzel is not that far removed from a couple $2 million seasons, and even though he's on the backside of his career, he still has some upside left.

Another major champion, the 2011 Masters winner shut it down a week after Augusta in 2019 with a wrist injury. The 34-year-old South African has fallen well outside the top 100 in the world rankings, but it's hard to know how much is injury related or just poor play. Schwartzel should get a major medical extension, but the Tour has not announced them for the 2019-20 season as yet. Further, it's unknown when he'll return.

When compare with the golfers around him on the FedEx points list, Schwartzel's earnings don't make a lot of sense. While most guys in the 100-125 range on the FedEx points list earned just over $1 million last season, Schwartzel made over $1.7 million. Schwartzel is a pretty steady player and he's just two seasons removed from a $2.9 million season, but his number is set just a bit too high for salary cap purposes. Another problem with Schwartzel is that he's pretty capped at 20 events per season. If he doesn't fare well at the majors, like last season, then it's going to be a lost season.

Schwartzel is stuck in the "good, but not great" zone and he'll likely never find a way out. That didn't seem to be the case in 2011, when he bursted onto the scene by capturing the Masters and although he's been a solid golfer for the past six years, he hasn't taken the next step in his career. With that in mind, Schwartzel nearly earned $3 million in 2015-16 , so there is some significant upside there. Now, That said, Schwartzel doesn't play very often so the odds of a significant improvement are slim.

Schwartzel's had plenty of success on the PGA Tour, most notably, a win at the Masters in 2010, but last season was actually his most productive. In addition to his win at the Valspar Championship, Schwartzel also earned 12 top-25s and five top-10s. Schwartzel is a solid player and he'll be a force on the PGA Tour for years to come, but the odds of topping his number from last season seem unlikely. He is however a strong draft option as he'll play in all the big events this season. With that in mind, he should go in the third round in drafts.

Schwartzel has done well for himself over the past few seasons, but he hasn't exactly taken off since his Masters win in 2011 like many thought he would. One problem is the limited European-style schedule that he plays every year. He's played more over the past two seasons, but he still comes in at under 20 events each year. With that said, he's a bit of a risk in salary cap leagues, but he's certainly worth some attention. The upside is certainly there and his price is reasonable as well. In draft leagues he should go around the 4th round.

Schwartzel entered the 2013 on fire and was able to sustain a pretty solid run into the first few months of the season, but his game fell off soon after and he didn't really get it back until just before the end of the year. With that said, Schwartzel looks like one of the better players on the PGA Tour and he should continue to improve in 2014. He's got a solid world ranking, so he'll get a chance to play against the best this season, it's just a matter of whether he can find his major-winning form again or not. Schwartzel should go in the 15-25 range in drafts and should also be considered in salary cap leagues.

Is this what you call a Masters' hangover? Schwartzel captured the 2012 Masters and as is often the case with first -time major winner's, he suffered a bit of a hangover - the following year. OK, so maybe that wasn't the case, Schwartzel actually started 2012 quite well, but after a pair of top-5s early on, Schwartzel simply lost his game. He didn't fall apart completely, but he also couldn't manage a single top-10 either. Odds are he'll bounce back this season, and at this price there's no reason not to take him. In draft leagues, Schwartzel should go in the fifth round.

It didn't take Charl Schwartzel long to make a splash as a full-time member on the PGA Tour. Is a win at Augusta considered a splash or a tsunami? Whatever the case, Schwartzel surpassed all expectations last season, and not only because he captured a green jacket, but because he played well the entire season. Schwartzel played the minimum 15 tournaments last season, but he made every week count as he didn't miss a single cut. More events on his schedule would be preferable, but he comes to play every week. And don't forget, these 15 events are big stops, anything in the Top-5 will result in a big payday.

Schwartzel had two wins on the European Tour last season and was eighth in earnings. He's decided to join the PGA Tour in 2011 and will likely play around 15 events (including the majors and WGC events). Schwartzel played very well at the first two WGC events last season and followed that with a T3 at the Shell Houston Open. His play fell off a bit after that, but he played in a number of events in the States last season and had mostly consistent success. He could be a sleeper in 2011 since he's become increasingly more adjusted to playing in the U.S.