Defending Masters champion Charl Schwartzel surprised by last year's finish

Ready to serve as host for Champions Dinner

Charl Schwartzel didn’t realize he closed the 2011 Masters Tournament with four consecutive birdies.

He had bigger things on his mind.

“When that putt disappeared on 18, honestly the last thing that went through my mind is that I made my fourth straight birdie,” he said. “It was, I just won the green jacket.”

The defending Masters champion returned to Augusta National Golf Club not as one of this year’s favorites. Instead, all eyes are on players like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Luke Donald.

“To be honest, I don’t look into those things,” Schwartzel said. “There’s a lot of talk now. Tiger has obviously won again and he’s really playing very good. Rory is playing well. Phil is playing well; Luke; all of the guys.

“But to me, I go about my business as I normally do, and I feel and I know, if I play my best, I can compete with anyone. So, you know, that’s the way I look at it.”

Schwartzel is the host for tonight’s Champions Dinner. One of the interesting items on the menu: monkey gland sauce.

“It’s got nothing related to the name. There’s no monkey and there’s no gland,” Schwartzel said. “It’s a sauce that’s pretty familiar in South Africa in all the restaurants. You put it over your meat. It’s a bit of chutney Worcester sauce and some onion. I had the chef yesterday bring me a sample, and even he said he was a bit surprised. He was a bit suspicious about it and he tasted it, and he said, ‘Yeah, it’s good sauce that you just put over your meat.’”