LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN WINS BRITISH OPEN

The pre-tournament hype billed the 139th British Open at St. Andrews as the likely spot for Tiger Woods’ return to dominance.  Instead, it was dominated by one of the more unlikely competitors in the sport.  27 year old South African Louis Oosthuizen won his first major tournament and did so in a manner almost as impressive as Tiger Woods’ performance on this course 10 years ago.  Oosthuizen led for the final 48 holes and was never seriously challenged as he shot a -16 under par 272.  That was 7 strokes better than second place Lee Westwood and eight better than Rory McIlroy and Paul Casey who tied for third.
 
While golf betting odds pegged the ‘usual suspects’ Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as the favorites heading into the British Open, Oosthuizen was all but forgotten and priced as high as +15000 to win the sport’s oldest major event.  Despite gusty winds that briefly halted play on Friday, Oosthuizen was solid and consistent making only two bogeys during the final 35 holes of play.  The tournament favorites didn’t fare quite so well—Tiger Woods didn’t have a bad performance but wound up tied for 23rd place at -3 under par.  Mickelson tied for 48th at +1 over par for the tournament.

Casey mounted the only serious threat to Oosthuizen’s victory, coming within three strokes of the lead midway through the final round.  His day went downhill from that point, due in large part to a triple bogey on the 12th hole.  Oosthuizen, meanwhile, was steady throughout the final round finishing with a -1 under 71.

Oosthuizen had no shortage of emotions, which he described in post tournament interviews.

"To win an Open championship is special. But to win it at St. Andrews ... it's something you dream about."

It’s been a big month for South Africa, hosting the recently completed World Cup and celebrating the 92nd birthday of Nelson Mandela on Saturday.  Oosthuizen said that his part in his country’s eventful summer wasn’t lost on him:

"It felt a bit special, really. When I walked down 18, I was thinking about (Mandela’s) birthday."

Casey was gracious in defeat as he praised his opponent’s calm and confident play:

"Nobody was going to stop him. He didn't miss a shot today. I don't know if he missed one all week. That was four days of tremendous golf. He didn't flinch today."

Oosthuizen hails from modest circumstances-- the son of a farmer, he was the beneficiary of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation which helps promote the game among the youth of South Africa regardless of economic background.  Oosthuizen’s victory vaulted him to 15th in the world rankings.