By Steve Todd, europeantour.com
at Whistling Straits
The 2015 season may be yet to yield one of golf’s four biggest prizes for a European Tour member, but the Major Championship form of Justin Rose and Louis Oosthuizen so far this year suggests that could be about to change at the US PGA Championship.
After a slow start to the year by his own high standards, Rose finished runner up to Jordan Spieth at the Masters Tournament in April and tied sixth in The Open Championship last month, and the Englishman heads to Whistling Straits fresh from sharing third place in last week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Yet, Oosthuizen’s 2015 record on golf’s grandest stage is arguably even more impressive. The South African followed a top 20 finish at Augusta National by finishing runner up to Spieth in the US Open Championship, and he lost in a play-off to Zach Johnson at St Andrews.
It is no surprise, therefore, that both arrived in Wisconsin confident of joining that elite club of multiple Major Champions, with Oosthuizen striving to add the US PGA Championship to the Claret Jug he won at the Home of Golf five years ago, and Rose hoping to add the Wanamaker Trophy to his US Open title of 2013.
Rose certainly feels his game is ‘trending’ towards another Major, echoing the same feelings he had prior to his breakthrough at Merion.
“It’s been a good summer,” reflected the Ryder Cup player. “I didn't panic earlier in the year when I wasn't playing well. I tried to tell myself that my year was going to be built around April through to September, and that's when a lot of the big tournaments rolled around. That's when I wanted to be fresh and at my best. It's going according to plan.
“I feel like I'm trending in the right direction,”
Justin Rose
“I finished T6 at the Open, T4 (in the Quicken Loans National on the US PGA Tour) and T3 (in Ohio last week), so I'm moving towards the winner's circle. I'm coming into here with a lot of confidence.”
In addition to the encouraging ‘trend’ of his own form, Oosthuizen pointed to the similarities between this week’s venue, Whistling Straits, and the previous two courses to host Majors in 2015 as a further cause for optimism.
“The three courses have a pretty links feel to them,” he said. “Obviously St Andrews was a great golf course, a great links golf course. At Chambers Bay the last nine holes, everything was going in the right direction and making putts, and you have those weeks.
“That really got me motivated for St. Andrews on a golf course that I love. I came up short there, but I'm looking forward to this week. The golf course, bits and pieces, came back to me when I played the practice round and I just remember how good the course was and that you really have to drive it well around here.
“There was one issue last week which I struggled at, but I think I've sorted that out in the last few days now and hopefully I can get a good start off the tee this week.”
Having been in the box seat to witness Spieth and Johnson claim their second career Major titles in June and July respectively, Oosthuizen is hoping that August will prove to be the month he adds to his own collection.
“I felt I did everything right at the Open at St Andrews,” he said. “I played to my strengths at the golf course. I did exactly what I tried to do the whole week. And at the end of the day you want to give yourself a chance to win a Major on the back nine on Sunday. And that's exactly the situation that I put myself in. It was just not good enough to get it done.
“But it takes a lot of hard work and playing a lot of golf and being in that situation to put yourself in that position. And that's what you see from top guys winning two, three, four Majors. They've got the ability to put themselves in that situation and then pull it off and they have a great victory. I think there's only a handful of guys that win more than two Majors. It's great to see when they get in that situation, they are able to just pull it off.
“I would like to get myself more in those situations to see if I can get that second, and maybe even a third major.
Louis Oosthuizen
"It’s a great place to be in and that's what we all work hard towards to be in that situation, to win a Major.”
“There's only a handful of guys that win more than two majors. It's great to see when they get in that situation they are able to just pull it off.
“I would like to get myself more in those situations to see if I can get that second, and maybe even a third, Major.”
