Charl Schwartzel's putting helped him ease to victory in Thailand Golf Championship, says Ross McFarlane

Ross McFarlane praised Charl Schwartzel's 'controlled aggression' after the South African won the Thailand Golf Championship by 11 strokes to claim his maiden title since the 2011 US Masters.

Schwartzel, 28, began his final round at Amata Spring Country Club with a five-shot lead over Sweden's Daniel Chopra, but blew away the field on day four with his third 65 of the week to collect his first trophy in 20 months.

"Schwartzel looked very comfortable on the greens; he read them well and his speed was good all week."
Ross McFarlane

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"The way Charl set out was ideal," said Sky Sports pundit McFarlane. "There was no way he was going to back off and his controlled performance and controlled aggression was world class.

"He birdied the first, as he had done all week, and that settled him, and then he stretched his lead with long putts at four and six and that allowed him to freewheel from there on in.

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"I haven't seen him play better and it was earmarked by the putting. He looked very comfortable on the greens; he read them well and his speed was good all week.

"He has had one or two issues with putting over the years and had the long belly putter for a while, but he has gone back to his old style and now looks the complete player."

Schwartzel, who finished runner-up to Lee Westwood in last year's Thailand Golf Championship, has been easing back into form over recent events, finishing fifth at the South African Championship, tied third at the DP World Tour Championship and then second to Martin Kaymer at the Nedbank Challenge.

And now the Johannesburg-born star has a win under his belt, McFarlane expects him to push on - and reckons he could even triumph again as early as next Sunday at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in his homeland.

"It was good to see Charl win because it has been a long time since he won the Masters and he would have had a few doubts in his mind about whether he could bring a win home after such a long period," added McFarlane.

"But this won't be his only win over the next couple of years and I wouldn't be surprised if he won at Leopard Creek - something he did in 2004 - when he is greeted by his South African friends."