Despite equalling the lowest nine holes in history with a back nine of 29, Louis Oosthuizen’s bid to add the US Open Championship to The Open Championship he won in 2010 came up agonisingly short.
Oosthuizen reeled off six birdies in his last seven holes in a blistering finish at Chambers Bay, but the South African’s four under par aggregate total fell one shot shy of Jordan Spieth’s winning mark.
Were it not for a disastrous round of 77 on the first day, when he was paired with the American pair of Rickie Fowler and Tiger Woods, Oosthuizen would have won the season’s second Major by the proverbial mile.
Subsequent rounds of 66, 66 and 67 carried Oosthuizen to the precipice of victory, but ultimately he was denied by the brilliance of Spieth, whose birdie on the last saw him add the US Open trophy to the Green Jacket he claimed at Augusta National in April.
Despite his close call, Oosthuizen was understandably delighted with a performance which bodes well for his prospects of winning another Open Championship at St Andrews, the scene of his debut Major triumph five years ago.
He said: “You sort of forget about everything when you get in that situation of having a chance to win a Major. The last time I felt that was in 2012 at Augusta, so it was nice being in that position again. I felt very relaxed. I felt eager to get to the next hole and try to get some more birdies going.
“I wasn't nervous at all, I was excited. I'll take a lot out of this week, especially the last three days, the way I played. I could've easily shot a big number today after that start, but I just fought and tried to stay in there, and it worked out pretty well in the end.”
Meanwhile, Oosthuizen’s fellow South African Branden Grace, who had jointly held the lead heading into the final round, was also left to rue a missed opportunity as his title challenge came unstuck with a double bogey at the 16th hole.
Until that point, Grace had shown commendable composure in the face of fierce pressure, as he cancelled out an early bogey with a birdie at the ninth hole, before adding another gain at the 12th to draw level with playing partner Spieth.
However, after a series of nerveless pars, the damage was done five holes later when his drive went out of bounds and he fell back to three under par, the mark he would eventually finish on.
Nonetheless, a tie for fourth represents Grace’s best finish in a Major, and the 27 year old will draw on the experience as he bids to add one of golf’s biggest prizes to the six European Tour titles he has already claimed.
Grace said: “Today was great, and this whole week has been a great experience. I hit the ball so well, and I played some great golf under the pressure. This is definitely the most pressure I’ve ever had to deal with in my career by far, and I’m proud of the way I coped.
“It’s just a pity it had to finish like this. If I didn’t win, I would have liked to have finished second, but I didn’t really do a lot wrong. One bad swing has cost me, but that’s golf and I’ll remember this day the next time I get into contention.”
