South Africa's shot at the Championship
After play was suspended due to windy weather on St Andrews Old Course, Louis Oosthuizen has the clubhouse lead with 12-under par on the second day of the British Open.
Oosthuizen was second behind Rory McIlroy’s day one lead, but overcame the 21-year-old from North Ireland this morning. The 27-year old South African shot a five-under 67 for a 12-under 132 at the midway point in the tournament.
Oosthuizen, whose full name is Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen, teed off Thursday to the sunny skies early starters have the pleasure of enjoying before the wind picked up in the afternoon and brought scattered showers that epitomized the wacky weather of St Andrews.
"I'm very confident with the way I'm playing," Oosthuizen said. "It's probably the position anyone wants to be in playing a major on the weekend, and I think it's what we work to achieve, and I'm just very happy with the two rounds I put together."
Oosthuizen opted for short clubs as he set out on St Andrews 18 holes yesterday. He teed off with the wind at his back to earn three birdies and two bogeys within the first nine. His three birdies came all in a row starting at the 5th hole after driving with a 4-iron. His next shot was a chip that left him 5 –feet away from the flag. He grabbed a couple of pars in the second half of the course, and a 15-foot birdie on the 18th hole to finish on a good note at 65.
Vuvuzelas in Scotland?
If Oosthuizen can maintain his lead until the tournament ends on Sunday perhaps a fans will break out vuvuzelas to celebrate. The South African horns were a big hit at the World Cup which wrapped up last week and made the stadiums sound like the a thriving bee hive.
"On the golf course?” Oosthuizen said of the ‘musical’ instruments, “No, not on the golf course," he laughed.
Oosthuizen was not a threat coming into the competition. He missed the cut in both the U.S. Open last month and Scottish Open last week, as well as at the Masters tournament earlier this spring. He has made the cut twice in his last nine major appearances, and has never contended at golf’s oldest major championship. He is however familiar with St Andrews; the South African played the Old Course at the Dunhill Links Championship on the European Tour.
The last time Oosthuizen made the cut was at the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland hills, and he finished last out of almost all the players. He won his first European Tour event this year, a victory that earned him a spot at Augusta National. Oosthuizen said his 2010 Open strategy is based on Tiger Woods victorious game in the 2000 Open, and he is trying to avoid the bunkers that litter the 18 hole course:
“I'm trying to take the bunkers completely out of play," he said. "If you go in a bunker, that's a bogey or a very good par. I'm trying not to take them on."
South African solidarity
Oosthuizen has booked a house in Scotland until Sunday, and has every intention of making the cut. He has Ernie Else to thank for even being at the competition; Els helped to pay Oosthuizen’s travel expenses and tournament fees through his South African foundation for junior golfers.
"My dad was a farmer and at that stage things probably weren't going that great on the farm. [Els'] foundation had just started and I got into it," Oosthuizen explained. "It was just unbelievable. I was in the foundation for three years, until I turned pro in 2002."
South African’s have had an impressive run in the majors; Bobby Locke, Trevor Immelman, Gary Player and Retief Goosen can attest to that, and having Els as a mentor is clearly paying off. After South African football teams were eliminated from the World Cup they were hosting, and with the country's famed Springboks rugby team losing to New Zealand on July 10, golf is the nation’s next chance at grabbing a championship title:
“It's just a big sport in South Africa and I think they'll just always expect that from us," Oosterhuizen said.
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