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Schwartzel opts out of Turkish Airlines Open

Cape Town - South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel has decided to opt out of the Turkish Airlines Open, scheduled to begin on Thursday.

Schwartzel was tied as the leading South African finisher in an otherwise forgettable tournament for himself and his fellow countrymen at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China.

He finished 30th in Shanghai alongside Branden Grace at two-under par and added 65,215 points to keep him 30th on the Race to Dubai rankings.

The 2011 Masters Champion decided to pull out of the Turkish Airlines Open and return home to South Africa to work on his game.

“You know, I thought the only real positive this week for me was that I stayed very patient. I didn’t particularly play very well,” Schwartzel told IOL.co.za.

“The golf swing’s not doing very well and I had a really bad back this week, so maybe that’s a factor.

“I will just work on my own swing with my dad, I can see it on the camera already but it’s just very difficult to fix while you’re playing in a tournament.”

He joins Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson and Tiger Woods who have all withdrawn from the European Tour golf tournament.

There have been security concerns overshadowing the tournament, as Turkey has been rocked by deadly bomb attacks in the past 18 months blamed on terrorist attacks.

Danny Willett will play in Turkey and vie for the No 1 spot in the Race to Dubai rankings overtaken by Stenson.

The Nedbank Challenge in South Africa follows the Turkish Airlines Open, with the European Tour season ending with the DP Tour Championship in Dubai.

Race to Dubai rankings:

1.  Henrik Stenson (Sweden) - 3843284

2.  Danny Willett (Britain) - 3581897

3.  Rory McIlroy (Britain) - 2824149

4.  Alexander Noren (Sweden) - 2318604

5.  Tyrrell Hatton (Britain) - 2242985

6.  Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) - 1969107

7.  Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) - 1760893

8.  Chris Wood (Britain) - 1756331

9.  Branden Grace (South Africa) - 1749895

10. Lee Westwood (Britain) - 1655313

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