GOLF/ THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP:WHO NEEDS an unpronounceable Icelandic volcano, or even a vuvuzela, when you've got a being by the name of Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen – pronounced "Wuhst-hy-zen" in the Afrikaner farmlands of South Africa from where he hails? Get used to the name.
Yesterday, on the lunar humps and hollows of the Old Course at St Andrews, 27-year-old Louis Oosthuizen, to give the more conventional version of his name, or “Shrek” to his friends, possessed a Zen-like calmness in the final round of the 150th anniversary British Open to finish a job he’d started when he assumed the midway lead on Friday.
Oosthuizen’s journey to a maiden major victory had as uncomplicated an ending as any in this championship’s long history as he fired a final round 71 for 272, 16 under par, that left him all of seven strokes clear of Lee Westwood.
This time, though, even the Englishman could accept Oosthuizen was a class apart. “There’s not even any real disappointment. If you get close and you lose, then there’s disappointment. But I didn’t,” said Westwood.
No, this time, Oosthuizen – who had inveigled his way into the midway lead on Friday when he dodged the howling winds sent to the links by Mother Nature after he’d finished his round – was briefly enticed into a final round duel by Paul Casey, playing alongside him in the final pairing. But he eased clear with all of the deftness of a gazelle outwitting a lion. By the time he took his last march up the 18th, it was a pressure-free zone. He’d outplayed everyone.
Oosthuizen finished perched atop a leaderboard that had Westwood as his nearest – if distant – pursuer, while Rory McIlroy equalled his best finish in a major with a final round 68 for 280, eight shots adrift.
McIlroy shared third with Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and Casey, who had threatened to make inroads into the new champion’s procession until two significant event around the turn.
On the 352-yard ninth hole, both drove the green. At that point, Casey, with a birdie on the sixth to Oosthuizen’s bogey on the eighth, had reduced the deficit to three strokes and seemed to have gathered some momentum.
Then Oosthuizen made a dramatic statement of intent, holing his 45-footer for an eagle two. Although Casey birdied, the gap was again four.
After turning for home, the decisive moment came on the 12th, a short but deceptively tricky, 348-yard par four with gorse bushes awaiting any loose drive. In the match ahead, Martin Kaymer’s drive found gorse down the left which led to a bogey, but worse was to befall Casey.
The Englishman – forced to go for a big drive after Oosthuizen’s effort landed greenside – found the same bushes as Kaymer and had to take a penalty drop. But unlike the German, who limited the damage to one dropped shot, Casey ran up a triple-bogey seven. His quest was over; and destiny was calling Oosthuizen.
From there to the finish, Oosthuizen, seasoned on the European Tour, played with all the wisdom of an old sage. He stayed out of trouble, and played cautiously over the finishing holes – particularly the 17th, ranked number one in toughness throughout the championship – to avoid any disaster.
He took his medicine when his seven-iron approach finished left of the green. He putted to 12 feet and took two more putts for a bogey which didn’t do him any harm.
A par to finish left him €1 million richer, earned him exemptions into all of the majors for five years and into the British Open until his 60th birthday, and moved him from 54th to 15th in the world rankings.
“To win an Open championship is special, but to win it here at St Andrews is something you dream about,” he said.
“I’m proud of the way I held my nerves around the back nine. It was still nerve-wracking but, yeah, it’s just great.”
Remarkably, he ended, in spectacular manner, a dreaded run in the majors which had seen him make only one cut – at the US PGA at Oakland Hills in 2008 – in eight appearances. He chose a special way to end that run, winning the 150th anniversary of the British Open – and on the birthday of Nelson Mandela to boot.
As Casey put it, “That was an unbelievable performance. He was very calm, played wonderful golf, and all credit to him. I’m disappointed, but the emphasis has to be on that performance, because that was fantastic.”
McIlroy, who moved from 12th to tied-third with his closing round, and who earned €305,536, was delighted his ISM-stablemate had secured a maiden major.
“He’s one of the nicest guys out here, he genuinely is. We’ve all known Louis has been a great player for a long time, hits it great technically and is technically very sound. I think he needed that win early in the season on the European Tour (in the Andalucian Open) to give him that little bit of confidence to challenge for the biggest events.”
Challenge he most certainly did. But it was how Mr Oosthuizen delivered that was so compelling.
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