Tag: Louis Oosthuizen

Louis Oosthuizen bought the farm, but first he’d like a U.S. Open trophy to go with it

Old McDonald had a farm, and so, too, does one of the first-round co-leaders of the 121st U.S. Open.

SAN DIEGO – Old McDonald had a farm, and so, too, does one of the first-round co-leaders of the 121st U.S. Open.

When South African Louis Oosthuizen isn’t busy plotting his away around Torrey Pines’s South Course in a very tidy score of 4-under 67, he’s dreaming of the day that he can work his farm. The question is which one? He already owns one back home in Mossel Bay, South Africa, where he grew up, and recently purchased an 86-acre plot in Ocala, Florida, horse country about 100 miles north of Tampa.

“I’m a farm boy at heart, me and the missus, and we can’t wait,” he told the Associated Press recently.

Oosthuizen’s fascination with farming is nothing new. When he won the 2010 British Open his big splurge was for a John Deere tractor.

“It was one of my big dreams,” he said at the time. “It’s for me to drive around on and I made sure there was enough space for my little daughter Jana to sit beside me. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”

A few years later, Oosthuizen, toured the John Deere factory when he competed in the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, for the first time.

The 38-year-old former major winner has finished second in all four majors and five in all since hoisting the Claret Jug, most recently at the PGA Championship at Kiawah in May, when Phil Mickelson edged him and Brooks Koepka by a stroke. But in all those close calls, he’s never held or shared the first-round lead as he did after making pars on his final two holes early Friday morning, to match Russell Henley’s effort among the early finishers. A 90-minute fog delay on Thursday forced the round to spill into a second day.

“I’m glad I didn’t have to do that last night with greens being a lot bumpier in the afternoon,” Oosthuizen said. “That was one of the reasons I didn’t want to hit that long putt yesterday, but it was probably a bit faster this morning than it would have been last night, but I couldn’t see anything last night.”

Asked if there was any advantage to coming out and playing a few holes as opposed to getting more sleep, Oosthuizen made his thoughts perfectly clear.

“I’d rather have had an hour more sleep,” he said.

On Thursday, Oosthuizen made an early bogey at 11 – he started on the back nine – but bounced back with a birdie at 12 and then reeled off three birdies in a row beginning at 16. He had a clean card on the front side while adding a birdie at the fifth.

Oosthuizen has developed a reputation before playing his best golf in the biggest events, but he knows the finish line remains off in the distance.

“This golf course, there’s a lot of things that can go sideways quickly,” he said. “So, you need to keep focus and play well, and be calm.”

At No. 18 in the world, Oosthuizen still has the hunger to be a golfer first, but retirement to his other passion seems to be gaining steam by the day. After all, he’s already bought the farm.

“Honestly, I thought this time in my career I’d probably be more wanting to farm,” he told the AP. “But I sort of got that second push in the game. I really feel like I can still win a major. It’s keeping me up there and focused to work a little more. I’m getting closer. When it’s time and I feel I can’t compete, I’ll hang it up and enjoy life.”

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As first round of U.S. Open bleeds into second day, Louis Oosthuizen makes a late charge

After a 90-minute fog delay, there was a healthy mix of both opportunities and ways to card big numbers on opening day at the U.S. Open.

SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Open is billed as the toughest tournament in golf, exacting pain and potential humiliation to anyone in the field. In many cases, just saying the course names out loud elicits a cringe from players, like saying “Voldemort” in Harry Potter’s wizarding world.

“Oakmont, Winged Foot, Oakland Hills.” Shhhh!

Torrey Pines South Course does not instill the same fear, but its length, thick rough and tricky poa annua greens command the respect of every player in the field here at the 121st U.S. Open. After a 90-minute delay due to fog and a marine layer that drifted over the course overnight, there was a healthy mix of both opportunities and ways to card big numbers.

Playing in the afternoon group (which turned into the night shift), Louis Oosthuizen did what he often does in big events: arrive under the radar and work up the leaderboard. He birdied 16, 17 and 18 to close his first nine holes at 3 under par. Then, as the marine layer returned to cover the blue sky, and temperatures dropped, he drained an 11-foot birdie putt on the fifth hole to reach 4 under. After making pars on the following two holes, darkness suspended play. He will return Friday morning to play Nos. 8 and 9 and complete his opening round.

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The name beside Oosthuizen’s at the top of the leaderboard is somewhat surprising: Russell Henley. The 32-year-old from Macon, Georgia, has skipped the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open, played here at Torrey Pines, every year since 2014. His 4-under 67 in the morning group is 12 shots better than his last round on the South course seven years ago.

“I shot 79 on the South Course,” Henley said after signing his card on Thursday. “I don’t really remember (much about that round) besides just leaving the course feeling like I just got beat up.”

Henley said that he has been playing well and is happy with his game, but he knows there is a long way to go.

“I’ve played some good golf in some bigger events in the last year,” he pointed out. “But in terms of putting four rounds together at a U.S. Open, I’ve struggled with that. So I’m just going to keep trying.”

Italy’s Francesco Molinari, the winner of the 2018 British Open at Carnoustie, is tied for third with Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello after shooting a 3-under 68.

“I haven’t played recently, so it’s nice to get off to a good start,” Molinari said. “But there’s a long way to go, so like I said, start over tomorrow like nothing happened today.”

Among the players who shot 2-under 69s are Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm and two-time U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka.

“I’ve just got a good game plan, focused, I know what I’m doing, and I don’t try to do anything I can’t,” Koepka said. “It’s just all about discipline in a U.S. Open.”

Among the notable players who have work to do in order to make the cut (low 60 and ties) are Viktor Hovland (74), 2020 PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa (75) and 2021 PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson (75). Jordan Spieth, the 2015 U.S. Open champion, shot 77 and Webb Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open winner, had 79.

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Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott and Bubba Watson use 7-woods. Should you?

Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Bubba Watson and other elite players are adding 7-woods. Find out why and see if you need one too.

For years, the stigma surrounding high-lofted fairway woods has been they are only for women and older players. For some reason there are players out there who think the fewer the headcovers, the more macho the golfer. To them, carrying anything beyond a driver, a 3-wood and maybe a 5-wood makes a player less worthy of respect.

Tell that to the growing number of major champions and big-name players who carry a 7-wood regularly. Among them are Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Bubba Watson, Max Homa, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter and Tyrrell Hatton. Jason Kokrak also had a 7-wood in the bag when he won the 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.

“Yes, there was a stigma about it, but at the end of the day, if a Tour player sees a performance benefit, he’s going to forget about the stigma,” said Todd Chew, TaylorMade’s PGA Tour manager.

J.J. Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist’s director of players promotions, also sees the old thinking fading away.

“(Tour) players, they only care about how it looks, sounds and feels,” he said.

PGA Championship: Louis Oosthuizen’s golf equipment at Kiawah

A complete list of the gear Louis Oosthuizen is using this week at the Ocean Course at Kiawah during the 2021 PGA Championship.

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A complete list of the gear Louis Oosthuizen is using this week at the 2021 PGA Championship:

DRIVER: Ping G400 (9 degrees set at 8.75), with Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 S shaft

FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade SIM2 (15 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Red 7 X shaft; Ping G425 (20.5 degrees at set 19.25), with Fujikura Ventus Red 9 X shaft

IRONS: Ping Blueprint (4-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts  

WEDGES: Ping Glide 2.0 Stealth (50 degrees bent to 48, 54 degrees bent to 55), Glide Forged prototype (60 degrees bent to 59), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Black shafts 

PUTTER: Ping Vault 2.0 Voss

BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

GRIPS: SwitchGrips ER

Phil Mickelson turns back the clock, owns 54-hole lead at PGA Championship

Phil Mickelson was the story of Saturday at the PGA Championship as he looks to win a sixth major title at 50.

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Yes, it really could happen.

Seriously, Phil Mickelson, who hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2019, hasn’t had a top 10 in a major championship since 2016 and hasn’t been thrilled with his play for some time now as he’s dropped to No. 115th in the world rankings, is in position to win his sixth major championship on Sunday.

Mickelson, 200-1 to win when the week started and 51 years old as of next month, squandered a five-shot lead midway through his round Saturday but gathered himself to sign for a 2-under-par 70 and get one clear of the field at 7 under.

Mickelson, who held a share of the 36-hole lead, made five birdies against no bogeys in his first 11 holes to bump his lead to five before making bogey on the 12th and double bogey on the 13th.

Mickelson’s main opposition? Brooks Koepka, who despite dealing with knee issues, will be going after his third PGA title in four years and his fifth major since the calendar turned to 2017. While he bogeyed his final hole, Koepka turned in a 70 to move to 6 under.

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Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open champion, shot 72 to stay at 5 under.

Kevin Streelman shot 70 to get to 4 under.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Branden Grace each shot 72 to get to 3 under.

Bryson DeChambeau and Joaquin Niemann each shot 71 and Gary Woodland 72 to move to 2 under.

Paul Casey, Corey Conners and Sungjae Im all shot 73 to stand at 1 under.

A large bunch of players are at even par, including Jordan Spieth (68), Rickie Fowler (69), Tony Finau (70) and Patrick Cantlay (70).

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Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman team up to win Zurich Classic of New Orleans

The Australian duo were all business on Sunday, however, as they took home the title at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

A fun week in New Orleans was highlighted by a lot of talk about hair, specifically the mullet sported by Cameron Smith. His teammate Marc Leishman amped up the fun by showing up to the first tee wearing a mullet wig on Saturday.

The Australian duo were all business on Sunday, however, as they took home the title at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in a playoff to fend off the South African team of Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

But not after some back-nine suspense:

A penalty shot on the 13th hole against the Smith and Leishman team led to a bogey. A two-shot swing on 15 after another Smith/Leishman bogey coupled with a Schwartzel/Oosthuizen birdie to give the South Africans the lead once again. A Smith drive on 17 that went into the water was followed by a birdie chip-in by Leishman, which tied things up once again.

A pair of bogeys on 17 and two pars on 18 kept things tied, forcing a playoff.

On the first playoff hole, the 18th, Oosthuizen pushed his tee shot hard right into the water, while Smith made sure he went left but did end up in a bunker.

From there, the Smith/Leishman team parred the hole to claim the title.

Smith earned his first PGA Tour win in this event in 2017 when he teamed with Jonas Blixt. It was the first year the event used the team format. Leishman’s last Tour win was at Torrey Pines at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open.

Zurich Classic: Leaderboard | Yardage book | Photos

For Oosthuizen and Schwartzel, the droughts continue. Oosthuizen still has yet to win on American soil. He also hasn’t tasted victory since he won the 2010 British Open. For 2011 Masters champion Schwartzel, his last win on the PGA Tour remains the 2016 Valspar Championship.

The team of Peter Uihlein and Richie Werenski shot a final-round 67 to get to 19 and finish third. Uihlein won a week ago on the Korn Ferry Tour in Vegas.

Billy Horschel and Sam Burns tied for fourth with Keith Mitchell and Brandt Snedeker. The defending champion team of Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer finished solo seventh.

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Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel lead Zurich Classic, but expect a wild race to the finish

Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel will try to end long winless droughts on the PGA Tour in New Orleans but 16 teams are within 4 shots.

AVONDALE, La. – Tony Finau and Cameron Champ have been flipping a coin on the first tee all week to decide who leads things off and said they likely would do so again on Sunday when the format at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans flips back to alternate-shot in the team competition.

Might as well flip a coin to decide who is going to win the title, too. There are 16 teams within four strokes of the 54-hole leaders, the South African pair of Louis Oosthuiazen and Charl Schwartzel, who “dovetailed” on Saturday to a best-ball score of 9-under 63 and a 54-hole total of 19-under 197 at TPC Louisiana.

Schwartzel led the way early as Oosthuizen didn’t make a birdie until pouring in a 19-foot birdie putt at No. 11. But once his putter warmed up the team birdied six of the last eight holes, including the final three. Oosthuizen provided the exclamation point at the par-3 17th, canning a bomb from 34 feet, the only birdie at the hole all day.

“Now and then you get a putt like that where you feel like you’re actually going to make it, you stand over it and just need to hit a good stroke,” Oosthuizen said. “It was one of those.”

But the veteran South Africans know that tomorrow is another day and a more challenging format, where birdies will be more scarce, especially if the wind blows again. Oosthuizen has never won on American soil and is winless on the PGA Tour since the 2010 British Open, while Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, hasn’t hoisted a trophy on the PGA Tour since the 2016 Valspar Championship. Could they follow in the footsteps of Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama on the PGA Tour and Lydia Ko on the LPGA by ending lengthy victory droughts tomorrow?

“I think anyone within four shots of the lead has got a chance with the format that it is tomorrow,” Oosthuizen said. “It’s going to be tough. We need to play really well.”

Indeed, there is a lot of golf still to be played before a team gets to slip on the championship belts. But to hear Schwartzel tell it, the tougher the better for them.

“The more difficult it is, the better we both play, so the format for tomorrow in a way suits us, and if we execute the shots the way we see it, we’ll have a good chance,” he said.

Zurich Classic: Leaderboard | Yardage book

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Hot on their heels include the team of Australians Cameron Smith, who won the team title in 2017, and Marc Leishman, who showed up to the first team wearing a mullet wig to match that of his partner and resembled the hairdo of competitor Pat Perez who was playing in the same group.

The first-tee hijinks wasn’t Leishman’s only contribution on Saturday. He went to the range after Friday’s round and realized his setup was too open. With his wedges dialed in once again, Leishman made five birdies including all three for their team on the second nine en route to a second round of 63 in the four-ball format.

“I was happy just being there and watching Leish play good golf,” said Smith, who chipped in at the third hole but didn’t make a birdie after the eighth. “It was good to see.”

On a day when six teams posted 63, Cameron Champ and Tony Finau, co-leaders after 36 holes, managed only to shoot 5-under 67, but a birdie at the last lifted them within one stroke of the lead heading into the final round.  as Champ was held to one birdie on the day.

“When I was a little off, he picked me up; when he was a little off, I picked him up,” Finau said. “That’s the essence of team golf.”

Bubba Watson, who won here in 2011 as an individual, and partner Scottie Scheffler, who is still looking for his maiden win on the PGA Tour, and the Norwegian duo of Viktor Hovland and Kris Ventura are each two strokes back in a tie for fourth. Hovland and Ventura struggled to shoot 68 in best ball, but were encouraged by the fact that they tied for the low round of the day in the alternate-shot format on Friday (68). Their plan for Sunday?

“I would just say play stress-free golf,” Hovland said. “Boring golf is good.”

Defending champions Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer (T-9) are among the group four back, and shot 7-under 65 in the alternate-shot format in 2019. Finau predicted a score in the 60s would probably be good enough for any of the top contenders. He, too, is trying to end a winless streak dating to 2016. How meaningful would it be to win a team event versus an individual title for him?

“It would be quite special,” Finau said. “I don’t know too many guys that can say that they’ve won team events because there’s only one out here. So it almost would be I think even more special to win, and to win with this guy would be really special.”

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Zurich Classic: vets Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson and Louis Oosthuizen-Charl Schwartzel surge in foursome

AVONDALE, La. – The foursomes format for round two of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans sent scores soaring on Friday. After Thursday’s birdie barrage in four-ball (best ball), par became a friend again for the field in the alternate-shot format. …

AVONDALE, La. – The foursomes format for round two of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans sent scores soaring on Friday. After Thursday’s birdie barrage in four-ball (best ball), par became a friend again for the field in the alternate-shot format. Rounds went from relatively stress-free to stressful.

Trust and a certain comfort level with a partner became paramount and not surprisingly two teams rose to the challenge.

“It’s never going to be as tricky when you’ve got a good partner like I do,” said Henrik Stenson of his teammate Justin Rose.

Stenson and Rose are both in their 40s and while their games have taken a recent dip, they continue to make sweet music as a duet. They teamed to shoot the low round of the morning wave, a 4-under-par 68 to grab the clubhouse lead at 11-under 133, and one stroke ahead of South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Leaderboard | Yardage book | Photos

Rose and Stenson have a wonderful Ryder Cup pedigree, including a 3-1 record in foursomes and were victorious in both of their foursome matches at the 2018 Cup in France. But they had shot 71, 72 and 73 in three previous rounds of foursomes at TPC Louisiana, where they have teamed to miss the cut in 2017 and finished T-19 in 2018.

Stenson’s game has been downright pitiful of late, missing six straight cuts before finishing T-38 at the Masters, but said he’s heading in the right direction.

“I shouldn’t say this while my partner is listening; it’s not always that I feel as confident as maybe some of the shots that I pulled off today, but it’s work in progress,” Stenson said.

On Friday, the Swede delivered the goods, including a 7-iron from 179 to 5 feet to set up a birdie at the par-4 12th hole, which happened to be the only hole Team Rose-Stenson both bogeyed in best ball.

“Henrik was a rock today,” Rose said. “I was kind of looking at it in terms of I don’t think he made one mistake that led to us dropping a shot really. It was pretty fun just to have someone that was so solid today. He pulled his weight today.”

On the three occasions when Team Rose-Stenson made bogey, they bounced back with birdie, making seven circles on the card in all. England’s Rose has endured his own recent rough patch and struggled with a back injury ahead of the Masters before contending to the finish and a tie for seventh.

“The biggest thing is you have to trust yourself but then you’ve got to trust your partner, but more so you have to trust yourself,” Rose said. “You’ve got to not worry about what your partner is going to be facing and I think it’s all about committing to your shots.”

Louis Oosthuizen
Louis Oosthuizen at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana on April 22, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

That level of trust has to be earned together in the trenches. The South African pair of Oosthuizen and Schwartzel are former Presidents Cup teammates and have built trust between them over decades of competition that dates to the South African Boys’ Champions (Under-13 division). Oosthuizen was 12, Schwartzel 10.

“I think we know each other really well,” Oosthuizen said. “So, we’re very comfortable together, and never once really said sorry to the guy.”

While Schwartzel and Oosthuizen grew up in opposite corners of the country – Schwartzel in the northern part and Oosthuizen down south – their friendship blossomed traveling to golf tournaments throughout Africa and India and then on the European and PGA Tours.

The pair, who dressed in different shades of green but matching white pants, belts, hats and shoes, was pleased as punch to shoot 1-under 71 in difficult conditions on Friday, especially after starting 2 over through their first six holes of alternate shot. After a critical par at 16 to stem the bleeding, they made three birdies on the par 5s coming home and an all-world par at No. 6 after Schwartzel’s second shot from an old divot and with mud on the ball sailed into trouble left.

“Luckily I had a clear shot, but adjusted nicely and pitched it up there and he made quite a few of those length putts today,” Oosthuizen said of a 7-foot par putt. “It definitely felt like a net birdie.”

When Schwartzel was asked what was his partner’s best shot on Friday had been, Oosthuizen interjected, “Well, there wasn’t many.”

When their laughter subsided, Schwartzel said, “He drives the ball so well, and he makes me really uncomfortable. I’m not used to hitting out of so many fairways.”

On Saturday, these veteran teams of Rose-Stenson and Oosthuizen-Schwartzel will try to keep the magic going when the format flips back to four-ball and they can return to – pick your expression – trying to brother-in-law-it or ham-n-egg it. When asked if there was a South African version of those classic American idioms, Oosthuizen said, “We call it dovetail. I don’t know why, but yeah, we call it dovetail.”

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Louis Oosthuizen’s approaches pay off in Masters-opening round of 68

Soft putting surfaces made it easier to hit greens in regulation in the first round of the Masters. Louis Oosthuizen took advantage.

Soft putting surfaces made it easier to hit greens in regulation in the first round of the Masters Tournament. Louis Oosthuizen certainly took advantage of those conditions to post 4-under 68.

He’s three shots behind clubhouse leader Paul Casey, in a tie for fourth place.

Oosthuizen hit 16 greens in regulation. Of the 48 players who finished their weather-delayed round on Thursday, only Kevin Na hit more. He hit all 18 but still shot 73.

“It’s probably as easy as it’s going to play today,” Oosthuizen said. “I hit 4irons to the greens where it plugged, I hit 7wood into a green and it plugged. I don’t think we’ll ever get an opportunity to go at pins like that.”

The week’s rain has so far slowed down the greens, which presented a problem, once Oosthuizen was on them. He needed 31 putts.

“Very different to what we’re used to playing,” he said. “It was tricky on the greens because you know what it used to do and all of a sudden you’ve got to hit it a lot firmer, and think it was a little tricky putting on the greens.”

MASTERS: Second-round tee times | Leaderboard | How to watch

Oosthuizen was in a pairing that included pre-tournament favorite Bryson DeChambeau and world No. 2 Jon Rahm. Oosthuizen, who is ranked 19th in the world, beat Rahm by a shot and the sixth-ranked DeChambeau by two.

The trio combined for one eagle (by Rahm) and 14 birdies, five by Oosthuizen. Their play would have been appreciated by the gallery – if there had been one.

“We hit great shots considering there was no one cheering us on,” Oosthuizen said. “That was the weirdest thing. You know, we got used to it through the practice rounds, different lines off tees where you could actually see a little more, especially when you’re standing – -like if you’re on the 8th tee box now, you’ve got to wait for the guys on 17 to putt, and normally there’s never a problem because you’ve got that grandstand there. But yeah, it’s different. We all miss the patrons here.”

Oosthuizen started his round on No. 10 and shot 3-under-par 33 on that side, with birdies on 11, 15 and 18. He shot 1-under 35 on the front nine with birdies on Nos. 1 and 8 and a bogey on No. 6.

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Louis Oosthuizen needs some more heroics at BMW Championship to get to East Lake

If Louis Oosthuizen’s quest for the FedEx Cup is to continue past this week, he’ll need some more heroics at the BMW Championship.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – In a do-or-go-home spot, Louis Oosthuizen birdied the 72nd hole in last week’s Northern Trust – in the dark, no less – to make it to the BMW Championship, the second of three FedEx Cup Playoffs events.

But that was a walk in a sun-splashed park compared to what he has to do to get to next week’s Tour Championship, the playoff finale.

At No. 70 in the standings and the last man into the BMW Championship, the 2010 Champion Golfer of the Year has to likely finish at least third if he’s to be one of 30 players heading to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for a crack at the FedEx Cup title and $15 million bonus.

“I just need to have a really good week,” Oosthuizen said Tuesday with a bit of a laugh after playing nine holes at Olympia Field Country Club.

Well, at the very least, he can call upon his last-hole heroics on Sunday.

BMW Championship: Fantasy rankings | Betting on Tiger

Oosthuizen, who is ranked No. 24 in the world, was having a miserable day in the final round and his chances to get to Atlanta looked bleak after three consecutive bogeys earlier on the back nine. But a birdie at 16 gave him an outside chance, a par on 17 improved his shot and then he busted a solid drive on the par-5 18th to get within reach getting into the BMW Championship.

And then a storm rolled in and delayed play for more than an hour.

“It was such an awful day for me the way I was playing. Everything I was trying was going backwards and making bogeys and making a lot of mistakes,” Oosthuizen said. “It was good to have that break really and sort of see what was going on. I wasn’t sure if 4 or 3 was needed to get through. Eventually got into caddie dining and they told me birdie will make it on the number.”

Trouble was, when he returned to the golf course, he could hardly see it as he pulled 3-iron from his golf bag for his second shot.

“I couldn’t really see the pin,” he said. “I knew where the pin was. It was in line with the TV tower. I think that made it really difficult seeing, as well. When the ball took off, I just looked around to see the response from everyone, and I looked over and (on-course analyst) Mark Immelman was walking with us and he gave me a thumbs up.

“Only when I walked down and got to probably about 110 yards or so away from the green I could see my ball being about 30 feet from the hole.”

But reading a putt in the dark isn’t easy.

“Luckily I was using the books the whole week, so it gave me a good idea,” he said. “And I know the green. I knew the first (putt) was going to turn quite a bit. Obviously the speed was the main thing. I hit it a little lower than I wanted to, and it picked up a little speed, and the short one was a difficult one to trust myself to hit it just outside the hole. It was probably three-and-a-half feet or so, and you want to see the break to hit it outside the hole, but I just trusted it.”

And made it. And booked passage for Chicago.

And now has to finish top 3 to get to Atlanta.

“I worked hard to get through last week really, and I knew I had to play well,” said Oosthuizen, who last won at the 2018 South African Open. “I feel like I’m playing really good at the moment, just need to get four rounds together. I just really need a really good week to go to Atlanta.”

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