Louis Oosthuizen unlikely to stay hot in Stockholm
It might have been our imagination, but Louis Oosthuizen seemed just a touch self-effacing when he lifted the Claret Jug and was proclaimed "Champion golfer of the year" last week.
After all, in order to claim that ever-so-slightly overblown title, Oosthuizen had just won one of the more anti-climactic Opens in recent memory.
But if the formerly little-known South African realised he lacked popular appeal - in the US, television ratings for the final day at St Andrews were down significantly on last year's Open - Oosthuizen cannot be accused of letting his newfound success go to his head.
After the biggest week of his sporting career, the 27-year-old delivering the finest play of his career, it wouldn't be unexpected, or even unseemly, to see Oosthuizen withdraw from this week's relatively low-key European Tour event.
But while other players may have quietly ditched their previous plans to enjoy some much deserved R & R - Graeme McDowell's post-US Open schedule is a recent example of such behaviour - Oosthuizen is gamely lining up for this week's Nordea Scandinavian Masters. Can the newly-emerged nice guy of golf keep his focus at the highly rated Bro Hof Slott course in Stockholm, Sweden?
Frankly, we'd be surprised. Oosthuizen is sure to have been given a boost following last week's waltz to victory, but even if he's competing in principle, we can't see him coming out of the blocks with quite the unflappable excellence he displayed on day one at the Old Course, when he came home seven-under-par 65.
Even if Oosthuizen seemed unfazed, breaking out his gap-toothed grin while ambling to a win that Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods may well be considering killing for at this stage, keeping that form going on a more consistent level is surely a tougher nut to crack. Consider the man's erratic form; at the Scottish Open a week before last week's triumph, Oosthuizen bowed out early, failing to make the cut after finishing three-over for the two days.
In fact, prior to St Andrews, Oosthuizen had failed to impress for much of this year, with a brief exception - in March, he could have had back-to-back wins when taking victory at the Andalucia Open; a week earlier he had finished second at the Hassan II Golf Trophy in Morocco, losing out to Wales' Rhys Davies. But that form went right out the window a couple of weeks later, when at his next outing, the Masters, Oosthuizen missed the cut, finishing eight-over par.
With Oosthuizen exceeding all expectations in the last few days, and plenty of people eager to see the new champion in action, maybe he really can compete in Sweden, but we think victory at this week's tournament is sure to come from another quarter. Robert Karlsson is the favourite, presumably since he's the most in-form Swede in the field, while Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, both of whom finished just outside the top 10 at St Andrews are both well fancied.
We've long been a fan of Fowler, the Californian 21-year-old who was second at the Frys.com Open last year before gaining a PGA Tour card, and has two runner-up finishes on the tour this year. Fowler is still waiting for his first win on the PGA Tour, but he can bolster his growing confidence with a win here in Stockholm, and he is surely as capable a player as any in this field - see his performance at the Open last week, where on his first visit to the home of golf, he shot an opening round of 79 - but followed that up with a 67, a 71 and a 67, carding only two bogeys over the entire course of the last three days.
It might seem daft to praise Fowler for playing well when we've virtually written off Oosthuizen, who played exceptionally at the same event. However, Oosthuizen hardly has anything to prove this weekend, meaning Fowler is surely the hungrier man here. We would imagine he's also keen to become known for more than just the vibrant outfits he habitually kits himself out in.
Lee Westwood made a crack the other week about how pleased he was for PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem that an American had won on his tour, cheekily referring to the fact that the last few weeks has seen a procession of Europeans, South Africans and Australians win in the US. Maybe Fowler can claim an away win for the Yanks this week - and really give Finchem something to grin about.
Let's face it, whatever happens it won't be enough to wipe the smile off Oosthuizen's face.
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