Louis Oosthuizen is now in possession of the Clarett Jug, the most famed and sought-after trophy in golf. He finished at -16, seven shots ahead of addicted-to-second-place Lee Westwood. Possibly the game's toughest test, St. Andrews proved to be a brute again this week. Oosthuizen was the only golfer to finish in double digits, as the rest of the field got blown away, literally. The wind, like most times in Open Championship golf, was the "great equalizer" again. However, Oosthuizen handled it like an old pro, which he is ironically not. Here's some insight on Louis.
I first was introduced to Louis Oosthuizen on the European Tour stop at the Qatar Masters early in 2009. He and Alvaro Quiros, the long-hitting Spaniard, were dueling for the lead through the last round, with Quiros prevailing. However, I was impressed with Oosthuizen's game, and I would look for him on the leaderboard from then on. It wasn't hard to find him, as he was in contention of many events when I tuned in to the European Tour. Naturally, when I heard his name in major championships, I would laugh at the commentator's lack of knowledge of who he was. Earlier this year at the Masters, he won the par three competition on Wednesday that I never miss, and I knew that he would break through this year. Turns out I was right, as he won a European tour stop in Spain, and I was not surprised to see him in second after round one of the British Open. In the Open, he took advantage of the first day when the wind did not blow hard, and then followed it up with a great round on a rainy Friday morning. Step one: take advantage of the course when it's possible; check. On Saturday, he played solidly, and increased his margin to four. Also, through the tournament, he was number one in driving accuracy. Step two: put yourself in a spot to win by hitting fairways and greens; check. Finally on Sunday, he played consistently and took advantage of what he could, and otherwise played for par. His consistency and unwavering confidence allowed him to make par when he wanted to. Step three: play like an old pro; check.
These three steps allowed Oosthuizen to win the Open Championship. Interestingly, the first American player was Nick Watney at -6. It makes you think that the European Tour players have the advantage in the British Open because they play constantly in the wind and bad conditions. No matter the case, though, Louis Oosthuizen has many reasons to celebrate his new major championship.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
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