Shrek strikes back with a 66
What a performance by Louis Oosthuizen! After being kicked out of the Alfred Dunhill Championship in mid way cut, the fans were not expecting the Open Championship winner to strike back, but he did and in quite a commendable manner.
The 28-year-old South African touched the first tee at 1:30 in the afternoon, dressed in a blue polo shirt. He drove the first stroke across the fairway and smashed the second for the green. Oosthuizen’s caddie handed him the Titleist
putter, which eventually helped him earn his first birdie of the day. The crowd was apparently expecting a birdie fiesta with such a start, but the South African disappointed them. He left a huge gap of six greens before reeling the second birdie on the par-5
eight. The veteran found the hole comprehendible, thereby birdied it for the third time in the 4-day session, but left the immediate vacant for a par.
The long lasting pars could have been dangerous for the South African, thereby; he opted for a change of strategy. Louis aka Shrek decided to play rough on the back nine and this is what compelled him to birdie the first, the fourteenth,
and the last two. Without a single fluke, Louis successfully completed the 18-hole session on Sunday.
Driving accuracy of 54.76% and green hits in regulation of 81.48 % surged the player to new heights in the Sunshine Tour. Open de Andalucia de Golf was his debut victory in 2010 and after that he claimed the Claret jug from the
major. He was nominated for the PGA Grand Slam 2010, but missed the opportunity, owing to an ankle injury, which he got while on a hunting expedition.
After a painful comeback, Shrek finished last in the WGC - HSBC Champions, which took place in Shanghai and wrapped the Race To Dubai with a top 13
finish. A week later, the veteran missed a cut in Alfred Dunhill Championship, but did not let the defeat take charge of his career.
After smashing 66 in the final round, Louis Oosthuizen was satisfied with his improvement. He claimed to unfold his best form in the last tournament of the Sunshine Tour.
Louis said, “I felt that I played okay last week but I made stupid mistakes in the first round. But I think I got my head in a better place for this week and I had a bit more focus out there. My swing was a lot better but I did
not putt that well but I think that will be the case for a lot of guys because it is quite bumpy (on the greens) out there. I only missed two greens in regulation and I didn’t make one bogey, which is always good for your confidence.”
The fact that Oosthuizen helped a blemish-free round, whilst his putting was not at its best has sent a warning to his competitors. The South African was one of the few players, whose game came to a halt after the round was declared
as closed because of the rain on Thursday. He remained vaulted to a 67 for the first three rounds and later on, rose up with a magnificent 66.
The resident of Mossel Bay acclaimed, “It is important because you can play yourself out of the tournament right there. It wasn’t that tough yesterday but it was definitely worse than the weather today. It was very important to
at least stay at level par so being one-under after the first six holes set me up for a good start this morning.”
Louis Oosthuizen started his professional career in 2002 and within the period of eight years, he has established himself as the finest players in Africa after Ernie Els and Tim Clark.
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