He outclassed all of them
HIS first two rounds at the Open were magnificent, but his second two were probably even better. For four days Louis Oosthuizen outclassed the field here and he thoroughly deserved his first Major title.
Some players suffer under the pressure of being out in front, especially those with less experience, but the South African seemed to be unaffected. In fact, if anything, he appeared to thrive on the situation.
He has missed the cut in four of the last six tournaments and had not won many titles on the European Tour, so we didn’t see this one coming. But he has always had a fantastic swing, and that quality really shone through over the weekend.
Now the question is: where does Oosthuizen go from here?
Well after bagging the Open he can do just about whatever he likes. The pressure is off. It’s something they will never be able to take away from him and he will certainly never be short of a penny or two ever again.
For Lee Westwood, however, that Major triumph must be just a matter of time. Runner-up again, he has now finished in the top three at four of the last five Majors – I can’t remember any player having a run like that.
His fellow Englishman Paul Casey also did well but must have known it was all over when he hit that tee shot at the 12th. That was a big disappointment.
Like Westwood, Rory McIlroy’s time will surely come soon. To shoot the two rounds that he did after his 80 on Friday was nothing short of magnificent and the stuff of champions.