Schwartzel inspired by Els

Masters champion Charl Schwartzel believes he can follow in the footsteps of Ernie Els by winning the US Open.

Masters champion confident ahead of US Open

Masters champion Charl Schwartzel believes he can follow in the footsteps of Ernie Els by winning the US Open in Maryland. The 26-year-old, who won his first major at Augusta in April, hopes that success will bring him the confidence required to emulate his fellow-South African when he takes on the Congressional course next month. The Johannesburg-born player said: "I like the Masters and I love the Augusta course, but I had always thought the US Open would be the one that I had a really good chance of winning. "Ernie won the US Open at the Congressional, so that's good enough spur for me. Doing what Ernie did would be a memorable achievement for me. And I enjoy playing tough courses like I expect the Congressional to be. "There will be plenty watching me to see how I get on in the next major but I'm not looking to go out there and try to prove something. I'm looking at it in a more positive way. The fact that I've won a major is going to give me more confidence in the next one than I've ever had before."