South Africa’s finest paired in Malaysia

Charl Schwartzel did not quite get to help close friend Louis Oosthuizen into a Masters green jacket on Sunday night, but they will be spending a lot of time together this week.

The top two South Africans in the world, now that Ernie Els and Retief Goosen have slipped down the rankings, have moved on to the Maybank Malaysian Open — and will be playing partners in the first two rounds.

One of the Augusta traditions is that the previous year’s winner welcomes the new champion into the club.

But it was American Bubba Watson that Schwartzel was congratulating after he beat Oosthuizen at the second hole of a sudden death play-off.

The Masters will not forget Oosthuizen in a hurry, though. His albatross two — or double eagle as it is known in America — on the second hole in the final round had never been achieved there before, and it was only the fourth on the entire course.

Gene Sarazen had the first at the 15th in 1935 — it was dubbed “the shot heard round the world” — then Bruce Devlin made a two on the eighth in 1967 and Jeff Maggert matched that on the 13th in 1994.

“Welcome to Masters history,” said an Augusta official after Oosthuizen’s press conference.