Charl Schwartzel is determined to make a move back up the Official World Golf Ranking in 2017, starting this week at the Maybank Championship.
The South African hit a career-high sixth in March 2012 but has not been in the top ten since the following month and is looking to once again move back up from his current position of 26th.
After teeing it up at the Alfred Dunhill Championship - an event he has won four times - in December, Schwartzel took nine weeks off over Christmas and now feels fresher than he ever has.
“I struggled with my knee a little at the end of the year and it never really got better so by the time it came to January for my MRI scan it turned out I needed a longer break," he said.
“That has actually allowed me to be a lot fresher than I think I would have been, to sort out some of my clubs and get some practice done to get my game in shape.
"I think overall it’s been a good thing. It’s been nine weeks since I last played competitively and it’s the freshest I’ve ever been.
“I’d like to climb the World Rankings more this year. I’m focused on Majors, 2011 is a long time ago."
Schwartzel's triumph at the Masters Tournament in 2011 is one of a collection of 11 European Tour titles that have come on three different continents.
A victory at Saujana Golf and Country Club would take that tally to four and the 32 year old believes the course in Kuala Lumpur could suit his game.
“I have memories of this place from 2002, I played the Eisenhower Trophy as an amateur and I don’t remember it being this hilly," he said.
It’s been nine weeks since I last played competitively and it’s the freshest I’ve ever been - Charl Schwartzel
"I can’t remember how we did so we obviously didn’t win. We had some great fun, myself, Louis Oosthuizen and Shaun Norris who is also here this week.
“There’s a lot of holes that I remembered when I was out there today and I’m actually very excited to be here. It’s a course that was a good memory even if we didn’t win. It’s nice to be back here and hopefully I can make new memories here.
“I definitely prefer warm weather than cold so that’s maybe a reason why I like it here in Malaysia, you never get cold over here. The golf course is demanding, it requires you to hit the ball straight and although the rough is not very long you can get a massive flier so it’s quite uncontrollable.
“I find sometimes the tougher the course is, the better I play so sometimes these kinds of courses suit me. The course is not very long though so you’ve got to think the winner will be 16 under and up."
