I can’t even say his name let alone acknowledge his British Open victory, but Oostuizen’s performance and final total score of -16 speak for themselves. The next player, Lee Westwood, finished seven strokes at -9, which is an indication of how well Oosthuizen played in this prestigious tournament at the world’s most revered golf venue, St. Andrews. I have to admit that this year’s Open was a bit boring for golf fans in the United States, as the best American player, Sean O’Hair, finished at -6, ten shots back and tied for seventh. None of our players even sniffed at a shot at the top three, which is unusual for Team USA.
Tiger Woods, still not back to his true form, had putter issues and had to settle for a tie for 23rd at -3 total on Sunday. John Daly, who was on the leader board Thursday with a sixty-six in the first round, Stewart Cink, last year’s Open winner over Tom Watson, and Phil Mickelson, a fan favorite, all shot plus-one. and tied for 48th, which isn’t all that impressive for these American players. He had high hopes for Phil Mickelson to enter this championship, but his play has been less than stellar since his Masters victory in April of this year.
The British Open was the second major golf tournament in a row in which the best European and other world players have blocked the United States in the leader board. At the US Open in June, the top three places went to McDowell, the little-known Frenchman, Havret and South Africa’s Ernie Els. The result and lackluster performance of the US players in these last two major spots does not bode well for the US in the upcoming Ryder Cup championship in September 2010. Corey Pavin, the US captain. The American team must be competitive enough to win this year’s Ryder Cup. I wish them the best of luck as they will surely need something this year. Our players better get to the golf course and start hitting golf balls to prepare for the challenge ahead.
Congratulations to Louis Oosthuizen on a stellar performance at this year’s British Open. If he keeps playing this way, we may hear from him soon. Happy golfing everyone!
