Looking on: South African Louis Oosthuizen stays focused at St AndrewsSouth African Louis Oosthuizen dedicated his shock Open victory to Nelson Mandela last night after learning it was the great man’s 92nd birthday.
‘When I was walking down the 18th hole I was thinking about him and the unbelievable work he has done for my country, so happy birthday to him,’ he said.
The 27-year-old beat Lee Westwood by seven shots to cause the biggest upset in 29 Opens held at the Home of Golf, stretching back more than 130 years.
‘It feels just amazing to win at the Old Course, it’s something you dream about,’ he said. Never at any stage during an anti-climactic last day did the 200-1 shot look like relinquishing his lead but he admitted afterwards that even standing on the 18th tee he didn’t allow himself to think he had won.
‘I didn’t want to hit a driver even though I had struck it well all day, but then I thought if I hit an iron it could land on the road across the fairway and bounce out of bounds,’ he said.
Family matters: Oosthuizen celebrates with a kiss for his wife Nel-Mare on the 18th green ‘So I took the driver and it was a wonderful feeling when I saw it land on the fairway. I knew I had won then.’
Oosthuizen paid tribute to two legends of South African golf. ‘I got a lot of help learning to play the game through the Ernie Els Foundation, so thanks to him,’ he said.
Stars and stripes: John Daly shows his true colours‘I also got a phone call from Gary Player before I went out. He told me the crowd would be rooting for Paul Casey (his playing partner). He told me about when he won the Masters for the first time and he was up against Arnold Palmer and the crowd were throwing things at him.I knew I was never going to face anything like that.’
Casey finished tied third and predicted he would end the English drought in majors stretching back to Sir Nick Faldo’s victory in the Masters in 1996. ‘It was a frustrating day but I am not going to get downhearted about it,’ he said.
Late charge: Lee Westwood had an impressive final day ‘I know I am going to win a major, it’s a matter of time.’ Westwood was upbeat too, after registering his fourth top-three finish in his last five majors. ‘I just didn’t take enough of the opportunities that my long game presented,’ he said.
‘But I keep putting myself in contention and hopefully one of these chances will turn into a trophy.’
Frustration: Paul Casey's challenge fell by the waysideTiger Woods finished well down the field and said: ‘That was my worst putting performance I can ever recall.
'I had nine three-putts and you can’t expect to win doing that.’
In discussion: Tiger Woods finished on three under par after a final round of 72Westwood, Casey and the rest of the UK’s seven players in the world’s top 16 do not have to wait long for their next chance.
The season’s final major, the US PGA Championship, takes place at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, in three weeks’ time.
source: dailymail
