One week ago, Louis Oosthuizen walked onto the first tee at the Old Course to the polite applause afforded to all competitors from the St Andrews crowd. Given the difficulty in pronouncing his surname, coupled with the fact that he was a 250-1 outsider to win golf’s grandest prize at the start of the tournament last Thursday, you could forgive the watching thousands the rather easy quip of ‘Louis who?’
Seven days and one Open Championship victory later, the South African was roared onto the first tee at the Nordea Scandinavian Masters by a crowd who know exactly who the man from Mossel Bay, South Africa, is.
After obliterating the very best players on the planet with that mesmerising performance to win golf’s most cherished trophy, Oosthuizen and the Claret Jug jumped on a private jet to Sweden to honour the sponsor’s invitation that the 27 year old had requested from the tournament organisers before winning at St Andrews.
It will be a long time before Louis has to go looking for an invitation to another golf tournament, but it is to his great credit that he honoured the Nordea Scandinavian Masters invitation after seeing the course lay-out onwww.europeantour.comand feeling that the wonderful Bro Hof Slott Golf Club would suit his game to a tee.
He proved that emphatically by moving into share into a share of the five under par first round lead with Richard Green and Dustin Johnson to provide early proof that his new career in golf’s most intense spotlight will not phase the man whose gift to himself for winning The Open was a new tractor.
“I was a bit nervous on the front nine today because I didn’t want to put on a bad show for everyone out there,” said Oosthuizen. “The crowds were unbelievable out there today and they pushed me to focus and not get too far ahead of myself.
“It was nice to get back inside the ropes to be honest and focus just in the golf – no-one can contact me when I am out on the course because my phone is turned off! I have had so many calls since winning at St Andrews that it feels like I have been on the phone for 24 hours a day.
“But it has all been great and I am really pleased that I could go out there today and play well because the organisers of the tournament were very kind to give me an invitation.
“I have to say though that I am very tired now and I am looking forward to my week at home next week – especially next Wednesday when my new tractor is being delivered to my house. That is my present to myself for winning Open and I am pretty excited about getting out there on it.”
When Oosthuizen is finished taking his new toy for a spin next week, he will head to America for the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and the final Major Championship of the year at the USPGA.
The South African will spearhead The European Tour challenge in America along with the likes of US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, WGC winners Ernie Els and Ian Poulter, recent PGA Tour champions Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood as well as Paul Casey and Luke Donald from the World’s top ten.
It is indeed a glorious period for European Tour Members around the world, and after Oosthuizen’s breakthrough, who would bet against The European Tour continuing to leave tractor marks on the golfing map of the world?
