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Cape Town - Charl Schwartzel's stellar weekend play at the 2017 Masters was good enough for an eventual third place finish - and $748 000 (R10.4m) in earnings.
READ: SA caddie helps Garcia to Masters victory
Schwartzel posted back-to-back rounds of 68 and 68 on Saturday and Sunday to rocket up the leaderboard at a course he's tasted Green Jacket success at in 2011.
Schwartzel wound up three strokes adrift of eventual winner, Spain's Sergio Garcia, who beat European Ryder Cup team-mate, England's Justin Rose, on the first playoff hole.
Schwartzel's play around the famed Augusta National layout saw him jump to 18th in the latest world rankings, the lone South African in the Top 20.
Next best among the five-man SA contingent at the year's first Major was Branden Grace who signed for a tournament total of 3-over par, 291, and a share of 27th place.
That was good enough for Grace to bank $78 100 (R1.08m).
Louis Oosthuizen failed to fire, despite second and final rounds of 1-under par. The Mossel Bay native was undone by an opening 77 and Round 3 score of 76 and wound up in a tie for 41st on 7-over par.
Oosthuizen, who lost in a playoff at the Masters in 2014 to American Bubba Watson, took home $46 200 (R640 000) for his efforts.
Veteran Ernie Els, now 47 and playing in what was likely to be his final Masters, had a tournament to forget, despite an opening level par round in testing conditions on Thursday.
The 'Big Easy' ballooned to an 83 in Round 3 and would eventually 53rd - and finish - last among those players who made the halfway cut on 20-over par.
Els' four days of work was worth $27 060 (R375 000) - more than enough to buy those beers should be return to the Masters as a spectator!
Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion, missed the cut after rounds of 79 and 76 left him on 11-over par, five shots too many to make the 5-over 36 hole cut.
Meanwhile, Garcia pocketed $1 980 000 (R27.5m) for his victory - or $7 021 (R97 525) per shot he played in total (in both relegation and the playoff).
Scores after Sunday's final round of the 81st Masters at par-72 Augusta National Golf Club (Garcia won on first playoff hole):
279 - Justin Rose (ENG) 71-72-67-69, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 71-69-70-69
282 - Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 74-72-68-68
283 - Matt Kuchar (USA) 72-73-71-67, Thomas Pieters (BEL) 72-68-75-68
284 - Paul Casey (ENG) 72-75-69-68
285 - Kevin Chappell (USA) 71-76-70-68, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 72-73-71-69
286 - Adam Scott (AUS) 75-69-69-73, Ryan Moore (USA) 74-69-69-74
287 - Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 76-70-74-67, Russell Henley (USA) 71-76-71-69, Brooks Koepka (USA) 74-73-71-69, Rickie Fowler (USA) 73-67-71-76, Jordan Spieth (USA) 75-69-68-75
288 - Martin Kaymer (GER) 78-68-74-68, Steve Stricker (USA) 75-73-72-68
289 - Pat Perez (USA) 74-74-70-71, Fred Couples (USA) 73-70-74-72, Jimmy Walker (USA) 76-71-70-72, Lee Westwood (ENG) 70-77-68-74
290 - Jason Day (AUS) 74-76-69-71, Justin Thomas (USA) 73-76-71-70, Phil Mickelson (USA) 71-73-74-72, William McGirt (USA) 69-73-74-74, Charley Hoffman (USA) 65-75-72-78
291 - Brendan Steele (USA) 74-73-75-69, Daniel Berger (USA) 77-73-72-69, Branden Grace (RSA) 76-74-71-70, Brandt Snedeker (USA) 75-74-69-73, Jon Rahm (ESP) 73-70-73-75
292 - Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG) 71-78-73-70
293 - An Byeong-Hun (KOR) 76-73-74-70, Francesco Molinari (ITA) 78-72-71-72, Jason Dufner (USA) 71-76-70-76
294 - Adam Hadwin (CAN) 75-74-75-70, Stewart Hagestad (USA) 74-73-74-73, Brian Stuard (USA) 77-70-74-73, Bill Haas (USA) 75-72-71-76, Soren Kjeldsen (DEN) 72-73-71-78
295 - Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 77-71-76-71, Ross Fisher (ENG) 76-74-74-71
296 - Marc Leishman (AUS) 73-74-78-71, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 77-72-76-71, Kevin Kisner (USA) 74-75-74-73
297 - Curtis Luck (AUS) 78-72-75-72, Daniel Summerhays (USA) 74-75-75-73
298 - Andy Sullivan (ENG) 71-78-76-73, James Hahn (USA) 75-75-75-73
299 - J.B. Holmes (USA) 78-72-73-76
300 - Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 79-70-73-78
305 - Larry Mize (USA) 74-76-79-76
308 - Ernie Els (RSA) 72-75-83-78
Was a great week for me, I tried hard but came up a little short. Big congrats to @TheSergioGarcia, well played my friend
— Charl Schwartzel (@CA_Schwartzel) April 10, 2017
