Louis Oosthuizen Surprise Winner Of British Open

Added on Aug 05, 2010 by Jack Thurman in

Golf

The pre-tournament hype billed the 139^th British Open at St. Andrews a comeback spot for Tiger Woods. It didn’t work out that way. Instead, the oldest major tournament in golf was won by one of the most unlikely competitors in the sport. 27 year old South African Louis Oosthuizen earned his first major tournament victory and did so in a very impressive. 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 installed Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as the favorites heading into the event, Oosthuizen was all essentially an afterthought. Despite gusty winds that briefly halted play on Friday, Oosthuizen was solid throughout making only two bogeys during the final two rounds of play.

Casey mounted the only serious threat to Oosthuizen’s victory, coming within three strokes of the lead midway through the final round. A triple bogey on the 12^th hole knocked him out of contention. Oosthuizen, meanwhile, was consistant throughout the final round finishing with a -1 under 71.

Oosthuizen was very emotional in post tournament media interviews:

“To win an Open championship is special. But to win it at St. Andrews … it’s something you dream about.”

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 a very modest background. He’s the son of a farmer and was the beneficiary of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation which helps promote the game among youth regardless of economic background. Oosthuizen’s victory vaulted him to 15^th in the world rankings.