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SHELL HOUSTON OPEN

March 29, 2016

Charl Schwartzel

Humble, Texas

Q. The week before the Masters, gearing up for the first Major, but a big one here at the Shell Houston Open.
What's the state your game right now heading into this week?

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I'm very happy. I've had quite a good round of tournaments and, you know, I felt like I played pretty decent last week at the Match Play. One of those sort of format where, you know, you got to beat the guy on the day.

But, overall, I'm very happy. I went to go see Augusta on Sunday and Monday and yesterday and it just gave us really good feelings again. It was -- the course is in good shape and it just made me excited again.

Q. What did you see in the course knowing that it's very different from yesterday to what you're going to see in ten days?
What do you try to learn in those two practice days?

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: There's not much. If you've been there a numerous amount of times like I have, there's not much to learn, especially the way that it played last two days. The fairways are long and the greens are not as quick as they are, nearly as quick but just to play.

You get a good feel for it, just to familiarize yourself again, hit some shots and, you know, just playing the course. It's good enough. I've got experience of world play coming into the week and next weekend.

Q. I see the smile on your face.
THE WITNESS: You get excited.

Q. What is it like going back there knowing what you did in 2011?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: It's special. I think the longer -- the longer time goes by, the more I sort of realize how good that actually was, and every time I play, even the caddy that caddied for me coming up 15 said, "It's about time to make four birdies now."

Pretty cool.

Q. With the win at Innisbrook a few a weeks ago, how much does that help your confidence heading into this week and throughout the rest of the year?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: That was very well founded. Just needed to get something in the U.S. and to very much get that win that I did at Innisbrook was big for me because I knew my game was good enough to win.

I know obviously at Augusta I feel comfortable and that's the ones we all focusing on at the moment. It's one thing to sort of know that it -- you feel your game is good enough to win but to know it's good enough is a different thing and just having that win makes it -- makes you believe more.

Q. How do you maintain those good feelings and confidence here this week?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I think what you do is you know, you work -- for myself I work on a few mental aspects more. I feel the game is in really good shape. You know, obviously working a few things but just more mentally, sort of getting yourself, your mindset right for next week and you're starting it this week.

The same as a golf swing. You got to practice it and, you know, there's a lot of guys in good shape for next week and I feel like, you know, you're going to need an edge over the guys mentally-wise. That golf course can really get to you if it starts going in the wrong direction.

Q. Little bit off the wall question, what do you think of Graham DeLaet's beard?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: If I had a beard like that my wife would cut it off in the middle of the night. Unique.

Q. So you played Sunday and Monday? Did you play 18 each day?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I hoped 18 on Sunday but we got rain. Only got 9 in.

Q. Lot of guys up there?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Yeah. Saw Dustin Johnson.

Q. People do a hole to hole description of Augusta. Describe the 3rd hole, what you look at at the tee shot and approach around the green for No. 3.
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: No. 3 gives you options. You decide what you want to do according to where the pin placement is.

Most of the time I would hit driver to sort of any flag except the left flag. The flag is on the left, I prefer to hit a layup with a 3-iron and a wedge into that green because of the -- because of how the green slopes on that left side.

Last year we were -- we could hit driver because the greens were softer than normal but it only plays -- I don't see the shot.

You got the bunkers up the left side there and your driver you could carry those and you get it over the hill it runs into a little hollow at the bottom there and you normally got 30, 40 yards a pitch but you lay it back, you don't want to lay it back too far back because you got sort of a blind shot because of the ridge so you need to get it right up to the bunkers if you are going to lay up so you can have a visual to the green.

Q. In 2011 what did you hit off the tee?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: 3-iron and sand wedge.

Q. You get to the green from those bunkers if you're down in the bottom of them?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Augusta sand is a very, very heavy sand, very difficult to make good contact with the ball. So, it's not an ideal spot. You can get it up to the green but you're not going to have the control you need. Hit it in the fairway.

Q. What are some of the features around the green? You got the big swale front left and behind.
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: The green, you always got a big bank in the front of the green. You very much want to try and avoid -- it will run a long way down and the pitch especially to the left is really difficult.

Anyway, you have a little bit of a chance over the green. If you go just over to the left it's okay. You got a shot pretty much to every flag but if you go long left that's something else. Just one of those up the right side. It's too quick. You're not going to have a shot.

It is saying that -- I mean that's looking at all the different parts of it. It's one of the easier holes on the course. It's one of the holes you're looking at birdie.

Q. I know some players typically will adjust a little bit for Augusta for a particular shot or holes.
Have you or do you adjust any of your set-up the week of the Masters or have you, over the years as you played Augusta, have you kind of adjusted it just from -- as you get to know the course more?

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: No, and I think that's maybe why I've had success. I feel like the course sets up very much for my standard game.

The way I flight the ball and the way it sits when I look at the holes, it suits my shapes that I hit and I think that's maybe been a fortunate part because it is one of the courses that people can get carried away and have to change quite a few things to try and play it but it's been pretty much just my natural way of playing.

Q. They kind of set-up this tournament like the Masters. Exactly how close is it to the Masters, what you'll see this week? Is it that close? Does it give you a lot of help? I don't know, is it set-up -- can you gain anything? How much can you gain?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Well, my argument is if you really wanted to practice for Augusta set-up why don't you just go to Augusta, see the real thing?

I think this tournament, unfortunate the last few years with weather, so when it gets soft it's nothing like it. I think the very first year I came here it played really firm and that gives you a little bit of sense of what you're going to be dealing with bounces and shots you have to hit around the green.

The last few years, it's been nothing like it.

Q. You didn't play here before you won --
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I did.

Q. You did?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I did.

Q. Did it make any difference, you think?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: No, not really. It's about playing. Guys come and play. They want to practice their competitiveness. You want to fine-tune that. You're not looking to find some sort of game. It's too late to find a game now.

Q. How is your game by the way?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Feels good. I mean I'm happy with the way -- with the way things are shaping up. It's just getting yourself mentally ready.

Q. Given the fact that it seems like there's a lot of South Africans and Australians winning lately on would the both this Tour and the European Tour, might be a pretty good time to be from one of those countries going into Augusta, don't you think?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I'm happy I'm a South African right now.

Q. Charl, what's the most appealing part of coming to the Shell Houston Open?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: For me it's just to play, to get -- I feel like I can get good practice out of being in contention, hit some good shots under pressure, the good putts, that's the stuff I'm looking for. That helps with mental preparation. That's what I'm going to be doing.

Q. Winning a few weeks ago, how much confidence did that give you as far as how you feel about your game, this tournament and also the Masters?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: To win golf tournaments is nothing that gives you only confidence. We stand out there and practice and you play tournaments but it's not -- if you can get all the things you work on to convert into winning, then that builds you up, builds confidence dramatically and I couldn't have asked for a better timely one, you know, going into Augusta up -- I always believe I can win again at Augusta but you start doubting yourself, "Will you actually win?" Getting a win reassured me it's definitely way up on the radar.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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