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Schwartzel pick of the bunch from this year's majors

Charl Schwartzel claimed his maiden major title at Augusta National earlier in the year © PA Photos

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Charl Schwartzel's top 12 finish at the US PGA Championship confirmed his status as the best player of the majors in 2011.

The South African, who began the year by winning The Masters at Augusta National, claimed the informal 'Masters Aggregate Championship' with his finish at Atlanta Athletic Club - a title awarded to the player who has the lowest combined score from all four majors.

Players have to make the cut in all four to be eligible for the prize - an achievement managed by just 11 this year. Schwartzel beat Steve Stricker and Sergio Garcia by 10 shots atop the field, with US Open winner Rory McIlroy and YE Yang rounding out the top five.

Schwartzel - who also made the cut in all four majors in 2010 - had a stellar year, winning at Augusta before finishing in a tie for ninth at Congressional. He followed those results with a tied-16th at the Open Championship and then finished in another tie, this time for 12th, last week in Georgia.

Schwartzel was a combined 14-under for the four majors - the exact total by which he won the Green Jacket in April.

Relatively unknown in the US prior to his victory in the Masters, having played the majority of his golf on the European Tour, the 26-year-old believes he has adapted well to his new status within the game.

"I think after I won and when I was the only major champion for the year before Rory won, you get a lot of attention where you would never have gotten; a lot of media requests, which is perfectly fine, and a lot of people that recognize you," Schwartzel said prior to the US PGA. "So you become more in the eye of everyday life of people. As it's gone on, I don't know if I've just gotten used to it, but I think things have settled down a little bit.

"Like I said [after winning], my biggest goal was to give my golf the attention that it needed, and I think I've sort of achieved that. I didn't get distracted too much, and I tried to please most people, but also just focus on my golf, and I think it's been good for me."

Garcia's achievement is also notable; at the start of the year the Spaniard was not qualified for any of the final three majors of the year.

The championship is the brainchild of New Zealander Colin MacGillivray, who has compiled all the scores since 1960.

Edoardo Molinari was the last of the 11 players this year - finishing a combined 31-over par despite making the cut in all four events. Phil Mickelson claimed the title in 2010, with Ross Fisher edging out Henrik Stenson the year prior to that.

2011 Majors Aggregate Championship standings
-14 Charl Schwartzel (274-280-285-279=1118)
-4 Steve Stricker (283-283-283-279=1128)
-4 Sergio Garcia (288-279-282-279=1128)
-2 Rory McIlroy (284-268-287-291=1130)
Par YE Yang (284-278-285-292=1132)
+3 Ryan Palmer (282-284-289-280=1135)
+4 Phil Mickelson (287-291-278-280=1136)
+7 Gary Woodland (286-285-289-279=1139)
+11 Bill Haas (290-285-294-279=1143)
+20 Bubba Watson (289-293-289-281=1152)
+31 Edoardo Molinari (283-291-297-292=1163)

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