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Augusta - A lunchtime discussion with Jack Nicklaus last year about hunting led to the best advice South African Charl Schwartzel has ever received about competing at the Masters.
Nicklaus, who has lifted the prized green jacket a record six times in the year's opening major, described his strategy on every hole at Augusta National, leaving the young South African spell-bound.
"I was in such awe," Schwartzel, 26, told reporters after shooting a one-under-par 71 in Friday's second round at the 75th Masters. "You can't get better advice than that.
"We were having lunch, and I don't know how it started. We started talking about hunting and he took me through the way he played all 18 holes at Augusta."
Schwartzel said the chance discussion with Nicklaus took place during a pro-am competition organised by his fellow South African Ernie Els and that he strived to remember every word.
"Luckily Mr. Johan Rupert (a South African business tycoon and golf sponsor) was sitting there and he also remembered what he (Nicklaus) was saying," Schwartzel added with a smile.
Asked what sort of advice he had gathered from the 18-times major champion, Schwartzel replied: "He told me that some flags we used to go for were ones he never went for.
"But conditions also change those sorts of things. On (hole) 12, he said he never went outside of the bunkers. Always aim it at the bunkers and if it's long, you're never going into the bush so that was his line.
"That was a particular hole that always sticks with me so that is always my line."
Schwartzel, who has won six times on the European Tour, tied for 30th on his Masters debut last year but is fully aware that Augusta National's notoriously difficult greens with their severe slopes can only be learned over time.
"It's definitely one of those courses where you'll keep learning every year you come back," he said. "It's not a course you're going to master after a couple rounds.
"I've been fortunate enough to come out here before the tournament weeks with Ernie and come and play a few rounds. You get to see a lot. You can spend a bit of time, stand back and look at things a bit more.
"So I've had lots of advice from people, but you have to experience it for yourself, and that will take a couple of years."
Scoreboard:
134 - Rory McIlroy (NIR) 65-69
136 - Jason Day (AUS) 72-64
137 - K.J. Choi (KOR) 67-70, Tiger Woods (USA) 71-66
138 - Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 69-69, Alvaro Quiros (ESP) 65-73
139 - Yang Yong-Eun (KOR) 67-72, Ricky Barnes (USA) 68-71, Fred Couples (USA) 71-68, Rickie Fowler (USA) 70-69, Lee Westwood (ENG) 72-69
140 - Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 69-71, Luke Donald (ENG) 72-68, Jim Furyk (USA) 72-68, Ross Fisher (ENG) 69-71, Brandt Snedeker (USA) 69-71, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 69-71
141 - Angel Cabrera (ARG) 71-70, David Toms (USA) 72-69
142 - Trevor Immelman (RSA) 69-73, Steve Stricker (USA) 72-70, Paul Casey (ENG) 70-72, Phil Mickelson (USA) 70-72, Gary Woodland (USA) 69-73, Dustin Johnson (USA) 74-68, Adam Scott (AUS) 72-70, Bo Van Pelt (USA) 73-69, Ryo Ishikawa (JPN) 71-71, Robert Karlsson (SWE) 72-70
143 - Charley Hoffman (USA) 74-69, Ryan Moore (USA) 70-73, Ian Poulter 74-69, Alexander Cejka (GER) 72-71, Ryan Palmer (USA) 71-72, Martin Laird (SCO) 74-69, Matt Kuchar (USA) 68-75
144 - Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 71-73, Edoardo Molinari (ITA) 74-70, Bubba Watson (USA) 73-71, Justin Rose (GBR) 73-71, Nick Watney (USA) 72-72, Bill Haas (USA) 74-70
145 - Kim Kyung-Tae (KOR) 70-75, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 72-73, Steve Marino (USA) 74-71, Camilo Villegas (COL) 70-75, Jeff Overton (USA) 73-72, Aaron Baddeley (AUS) 75-70, Ernie Els (RSA) 75-70
Failed to make the cut
146 - Lucas Glover (USA) 75-71, Zach Johnson (USA) 73-73, Anthony Kim (USA) 73-73, Stuart Cink (USA) 71-75, Sean O'Hair (USA) 70-76, Tim Clark (RSA) 73-73, Hunter Mahan (USA) 75-71, Francesco Molinari (ITA) 75-71, Robert Allenby (AUS) 75-71
147 - Stuart Appleby (AUS) 75-72, Jerry Kelly (USA) 74-73. Kevin Na (USA) 73-74, Mark Wilson (USA) 76-71, Graeme McDowell (NIR) 74-73
148 - D.A. Points (USA) 72-76, Ben Crane (USA) 73-75, Peter Hanson (SWE) 72-76, Lion Kim (USA) 76-72. Jason Bohn (USA) 73-75, Yuta Ikeda (JPN) 74-74, Jhonattan Vegas (VEN) 72-76, David Chung (USA) 72-76, Heath Slocum (USA) 72-76, Carl Pettersson (SWE) 75-73, Retief Goosen (RSA) 70-78
149 - Kevin Streelman (USA) 75-74, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 75-74, Peter Uihlen (USA) 72-77, Anders Hansen (DEN) 72-77, Gregory Havret (FRA) 70-79, Hiroyuki Fujita (JPN) 70-79, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 77-72
150 - Jose Maria Olazabal (ESP) 73-77, Mark O'Meara (USA) 77-73, Larry Mize (USA) 73-77, Rory Sabbatini (RSA) 74-76, Jin Jeong (KOR) 73-77, Martin Kaymer (GER) 78-72
151 - Craig Stadler (USA) 80-71, Tom Watson (USA) 79-72, Jonathan Byrd (USA) 73-78, Arjun Atwal (IND) 80-71
152 - Nathan Smith (USA) 75-77, Davis Love (USA) 75-77
153 - Sandy Lyle (SCO) 73-80
154 - Vijay Singh (FIJ) 76-78
155 - Ian Woosnam (WAL) 78-77, Ben Crenshaw (USA) 78-77, Mike Weir (CAN) 76-79
157 - Henrik Stenson (SWE) 83-74
