Advice takenWhen Charl Schwartzel got the chance to soak up Jack Nicklaus' thoughts on how to play Augusta National, he jumped at it. And on Sunday, Helen Ross notes, Schwartzel put those words of wisdom to very good use. Jack Nicklaus played the final four holes in 4 under back in 1986, and Charl Schwartzel did the same in his victory on Sunday. (Getty Images) By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Charl Schwartzel had never even seen Augusta National. Except on TV, that is. Photo captionBut when Jack Nicklaus, the man who has won a record six Masters, began an impromptu lesson over lunch that Monday just over a year ago, Schwartzel knew enough to sit back and listen. The two had never met, and Schwartzel was nervous, but excited at the opportunity set up by South African businessman Johan Rupert. And when the conversation veered from hunting game to hunting pins, Schwartzel was the opportunity of a lifetime. "(I was) just thinking it's going to be just a vaguely quick little thing, and he actually took the time to take me through all 18 holes -- the way he used to think around Augusta and the way he used to play it, which flags he used to attack," Schwartzel recalled. "... The big thing for me was I had never, ever seen Augusta. Now, he's taking me through how to play Augusta. ... And now I'm in the presence of Mr. Nicklaus, and it's such a big awe. "But luckily Mr. Rupert was taking a lot of notes, so afterwards we had it all." Schwartzel wasn't in awe on Sunday, though. And he certainly showed he had been paying attention when he made a Nicklaus-esque charge with birdies on the final four holes to win the 75th Masters. Just 25 years earlier, Nicklaus had also played those holes in 4 under -- with an eagle and two birdies -- to win that sixth Green Jacket at the age of 46. Not to mention, this was also the 50th anniversary of the day that Schwartzel's countryman Gary Player became the first international player to win the Masters. The understated Schwartzel, who had flown comfortably under the radar all week long, saved his best for Sunday as he fired a 66 that lifted him to a two-stroke victory over Adam Scott and Jason Day. That third sub-70 round enabled the South African to erase a four-shot deficit and win his first major championship. He knows how to win," Scott said. "He's a very quiet, unassuming guy, and I think not prominent in everyone's mind. But among the players and the European players, you must have seen it today, he hit some beautiful shots. He's got a hell of a golf swing. I played with him a few times last year, and certainly he's a guy when you're out playing with him and you see him strike the ball, you take notice, because it's pretty impressive." Schwartzel set the tone for the day when he chipped in for birdie on the first hole and holed a sand wedge from 114 yards on the third to pull into a tie with the unfortunate Rory McIlroy, whose lead evaporated with an 80. He did make a bogey at the fourth hole but 11 pars later, Schwartzel broke out of the pack for his first PGA TOUR win. "It's such a special feeling," Schwartzel said. "I don't even know where to start. This morning, obviously I've never been in sort of a situation like that in a major, and I felt surprisingly very calm. I think Rory must have had lots of pressure on him, to be leading by that far. "I don't remember who told me -- oh, it was Justin Rose that said, 'You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.' ... And from the word go on the first hole, things started going for me. It's always nice when things start in the right direction." RELATED CONTENT --TOUR Report: Sunday --Wacker: McIlroy latest to learn Masters' cruel lesson --McAllister: Chaos reigns, until calm wins Schwartzel will be the first to tell you that he's had plenty of support. First, from his father, George, who runs the family's chicken farm, a place where his son feels particularly comfortable, just outside Johannesburg and got him started in the game when he was just 4 years old. "He told me from the word go the right grip, the right stance, rhythm, posture, balance." Schwartzel said. "... Whenever something goes wrong, it will be one of those five that have gone haywire somewhere." George Schwartzel, who once won a tournament with Ernie Els, always told his son to keep things simple. And Schwartzel, who dedicated the win to his father, relied on those principals as the pressure mounted Sunday. "You've got to really try and force yourself to stay in the present, which is very difficult around here," he said. ""There's so many people and so many roars that go up. That's the biggest thing. You've got to breathe. Sometimes you forget to breathe." Els, who beat the 26-year-old whom he regards as a little brother by a shot at Doral last year, is another of Schwartzel's mentors. And Zimbabwe's Nick Price gave the 26-year-old some prescient advice when Schwartzel confided he'd had a hard time adjusting to Augusta National's quick greens during his Masters debut in 2010. Lo-and-behold, Schwartzel ranked second in putt and tied for fourth in putts per round this week. "I've never hit the putts so soft from 40 feet and I struggled with that," he said. "... Nick said when he came over, he used to find the fastest putt on every green and practice that and that's what I did for the last three weeks. "Every tournament I went to, I just practiced the fastest putt I could find, even though they were only five feet, to learn to hit the putts that softly. It really paid off. I felt so good on these greens this week." Schwartzel is playing his first full season as a PGA TOUR member, and he's settled down in South Florida, not far from where Els and Price live. He's renting a home in Old Palm, an exclusive development in Palm Beach Gardens, close to his good friend, Louis Oosthuizen, who is another TOUR rookie. The two, separated in age by less than two years, grew up together in South Africa. Oosthuizen was a member of Els' junior golf foundation while Schwartzel had affiliate status. They traveled to tournaments together and still play countless practice rounds together. So when oosthuizen won last year's British Open at St. Andrews by seven shots, his buddy took notice. And the Masters was the one Schwartzel always thought his game was most suited to win. "That was a huge inspiration to see Louis win The Open Championship the way he did," Schwartzel said. "... We basically are the best of mates. ... So we know where our level of golf is, and just to see him do it made it, in my mind, realize that it is possible, and just sort of maybe take it over the barrier of thinking that a major is too big for someone to win." The long-time friends have now won two of the last three major championships and Schwartzel's victory made it four in a row for international players. Even if their names don't exactly roll off the tongue, don't think they're going anywhere fast. "I said to an old buddy, you better tell them how to pronounce Schwartzel because they're having a tough enough time with Oosthuizen," chuckled Rupert, who was in the winner's gallery on Sunday. "We can't always give you Ernie Els."