- The 85th Masters gets underway at Augusta National Golf Club from Thursday.
- World number one Dustin Johnson will look to defend his title at a behind-closed-doors Masters.
- Sport24 takes a look at the four South Africans competing in the first Major of the year.
The 85th Masters Tournament gets under way at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia on Thursday.
Five months after world number one Dustin Johnson won his maiden green jacket, the Masters is back to its original April setting.
There will be FOUR South Africans in the 88-man field, with Charl Schwartzel the only competing South African to win the green jacket previously (2011).
2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman was set to compete this week but will join CBS as a commentator instead.
Sport24 takes a closer look at the four who will fly the SA flag:
Charl Schwartzel
Age - 36
World ranking - 211
Best Masters - Winner (2011)
Schwartzel is the last South African to don the green jacket after his two-stroke win in 2011.
Since recovering from an injury in 2019, Schwartzel has struggled for form, which has seen him fall outside the world Top 200.
At last year's November Masters, Schwartzel finished tied for 25th, his best finish in a major since 2017.
Hopefully, some Augusta magic will rub off and see Schwartzel back to his best.
Louis Oosthuizen
Age - 38
World ranking - 28
Best Masters - 2 (2012)
Oosthuizen is South Africa's top-ranked golfer this week.
Oosthuizen has had a quiet 2021 thus far, playing in only five events with a best of tied for sixth at WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession.
He will be looking to secure his first Major win since his 2010 Open Championship triumph at St. Andrews.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Age - 26
World ranking - 35
Best Masters - T38 (2020)
Bezuidenhout will make his second Masters appearance this year after a stellar debut in 2020.
His T38 at Augusta was the beginning of a remarkable run on the European Tour, which saw Bezuidenhout clinch back-to-back titles by winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the SA Open Championship.
Bezuidenhout has since been plying his trade sporadically on the PGA and European Tour with a solo seventh finish at last month's Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Dylan Frittelli
Age - 30
World ranking - 68
Best Masters - T5 (2020)
Frittelli was the best-placed South African at Augusta National at last year's November Masters as he finished tied for fifth.
Frittelli, who now resides in Texas, hopes to find some form this week after missing four cuts in his seven PGA Tour events this year.
He impressed in the WGC-Match Play two weeks ago, where he advanced through to the Round of 16 before being knocked out by Englishman Tommy Fleetwood.
