Masters champion admits he was trying not to ’embarrass himself’ on day three at Augusta National

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel does not appear to have enjoyed this week at Augusta National. The 2011 Green Jacket winner entered the tournament with low expectations after struggling on LIV Golf this season. He made the cut on the number (+4), but a difficult third round has changed the outlook on his performance.

Schwartzel’s mentality changed from looking up at the names above him on the leaderboard to avoiding embarrassment at Augusta . READ MORE: How Rory McIlroy responded when Wayne Riley made ‘eye contact’ with him during round two at The Masters Charl Schwartzel reacts after nightmare round three at The Masters Schwartzel carded scores of 75 (+3) and 73 (+1) in the first two rounds before a five-over-par 77 on Saturday ruined his week. The South African golfer admitted that “it’s not a nice feeling” to be playing so early in the day when you’re not in contention.

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images Evidently struggling with a lack of motivation, Schwartzel made several big mistakes throughout the third round. He made five bogeys and a double bogey, falling to 54th and last place among every player who made the cut. “You always try.

You don’t want to also embarrass yourself,” Schwartzel explained to the media on Saturday evening. “You want to still and try to play off decent, but it’s hard to play when you’re not in contention, and you are just playing at the back of the field. It’s not the best feeling.