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Louis Oosthuizen, who goes into this week’s Masters tournament just outside one of the top 10 favourites, believes it is time that a South African wins another of the golf majors.
Speaking exclusively to City Press, the 2010 Open Champion, who lost a play-off in the Masters to Bubba Watson in 2012, said that South Africans were performing well at the highest level at the moment.
Oosthuizen himself finished second to Jason Day in the Dell Match-Play competition just two weeks ago and beat then world number one Jordan Spieth in the semifinals en route to the final.
“South Africans are doing well, but it has been a few years that one of us won a major. I think it is time that this happens again and I feel that it will happen. I can see some of us [there are five South Africans in the field at the Masters] doing well here this week.”
The first major of the year gets under way at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia today.
“I think everybody is preparing for a really tough Masters this year. Firm greens; you could see how they were playing. It will be interesting tomorrow; high winds are expected. So we will see if it is what they are expecting.”
The Mossel Bay-born golfer said that he does not feel it is any added pressure that he is among the favourites.
“I have learnt that on this golf course, you just have to sort of play your game and see how it develops.”
Oosthuizen (33) participated in yesterday’s par-3 tournament, during which 80-year-old Gary Player became the first player to score four hole-in-ones since the competition was first played in 1960.
As Player, who won nine majors, including three Green Jackets, left the course, he told his playing partner Tom Watson: “That’s number 31” [career hole-in-ones].
Player added: “I played with Jack [Nicklaus, who also played in the flight this year] last year and he made one. He told me it was my turn this year.”
Like the other South Africans, Oosthuizen played the par-3 outside the scoring as he allowed his caddie to putt. “It really is about enjoying yourself out there.”
The only South African apart from Player and Trevor Immelman to have won a Green Jacket, Charl Schwartzel, also said that he enjoyed playing the par-3.
“This is always a lot of fun. I think the Masters is the biggest event of the year. Just to have a little bit of fun time before it starts is really good and it is nice to share it with friends.”
Like Oosthuizen, he arrived in Augusta in fine form. The 31-year-old won the Valspar Championship on the PGA Tour in early March.
“I am feeling really good. Very happy with the way my game is and I had a good year so far. That is as much as I can do. Now I just have to go out and play my golf.”
He said that he was very happy with the greens, which this year were playing much faster than last year.
“A lot quicker, much quicker. Very similar to what they were in 2011 when I won. That Sunday they became as speedy as they are now and it is good to see them speed them up again.”
He dismissed the idea that playing in the par-3 was a distraction. “It depends how you look at it. If you start early enough it is fine. It can be a problem if you are not prepared to do something afterwards. We go and spend an hour on the main course after playing in the par-3 to get back into it and do some work.
“But I like having some fun.”
As a winner of the Green Jacket, Schwartzel is entitled to participate at the annual Champions Dinner, which takes place two days before the Masters gets under way.
The defending champion is responsible for drawing up the menu.
“It was a wonderful evening, Really good food and great wine. All of it was top. The conversations were really good. It seems the dinners are getting better and more sociable every year. It is really good.”
