Pair of South African Major winners partner again for 2021 Zurich Classic

Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel took third place in the 2018 Zurich Classic

NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 12, 2021)—Two South African players, both winners of a major each and both with 13 international titles each, will enter as a team again in the 2021 Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel have both won major championships and they have both enjoyed great success internationally,” said Worthy. “Their first partnership here in 2018 resulted in a third place finish, and they have great history from numerous Presidents Cup appearances together,” added Worthy.

Charl Schwartzel won the Masters in 2011 and Louis Oosthuizen took The Open Championship in 2010.

They placed third as a team in the 2018 Zurich Classic, one of three teams of major champions that year in the field (Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson, Jim Furyk/David Duval).

Schwartzel won his Masters title 50 years after fellow South African Gary Player became the first international winner of the green jacket. Schwartzel tied for 25^th in this year’s Masters.

In his career, Schwartzel has placed in the top 25 a total of 83 times on his PGA TOUR since 2005. In addition to his 2011 Masters title, he won the 2016 Valspar Championship. He has won another 13 tournaments on the European, Asian and South African tours.

His appearances since 2019 have been limited due to a wrist injury. He is currently playing the Tour this season still on a Major Medical Exemption.

Schwartzel has made four Presidents Cup teams and the 2011 World Cup team with Oosthuizen. In the 2011 Presidents Cup matches, he was one of four rookies on the International the team and went 3-1-1 in a losing cause against the Americans.

Oosthuizen, ranked 31^st in the world, has won a single major title, The Open Championship in 2010 at St. Andrews. But he has lost two playoffs for other major titles, to Bubba Watson in the 2012 Masters and to Zach Johnson and Marc Leishman in The 2015 Open Championship.

During his career, he has demonstrated a particular affinity for major championships. This season he finished third in the September U.S. Open, his fourth top-10 finish in that event.

He also tied for second in the 2015 U.S. Open and the 2017 PGA Championship, becoming one of only seven players in PGA TOUR history to be a runner-up in all four majors. The others include Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Greg Norman and Craig Wood. Norman and Wood lost playoffs in each of the four major tournaments.

So far this season, his best finishes have been a tie for sixth in the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship to go along with his third at the U.S. Open. He also finished tied for 11^th at the Waste Management Open.

Oosthuizen has played on the last four International Presidents Cup teams, compiling a 7-4-3 record overall. He ranks seventh among international players for points won in the President Cup competitions.

The Zurich Classic field so far includes half of the top 10 ranked players in the world.

Oosthuizen and Schwartzel  join several high profile teams previously announced to play the 2021 Zurich Classic including:

• Defending champion Jon Rahm, ranked 3^rd in the world, with Ryan Palmer, ranked 28^th.
• Collin Morikawa, ranked 4^th in the world, with Matthew Wolff, ranked 25^th.
• Xander Schauffele, ranked 5^th in the world, with Patrick Cantlay, ranked 10^th.
• Tyrrell Hatton, ranked 8^th in the world, with fellow Englishman and former Master winner Danny Willett.
• Billy Horschel, ranked 18^th in the world, with former LSU All-American Sam Burns.
• Tony Finau, ranked 12^th in the world with Cameron Champ.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format  in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.