I can’t even say his name let alone acknowledge his victory at the British Open, 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 must 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 -6, ten shots behind and tied for seventh place. None of our players even sniffed at the chance for the top three spots, which is unusual for Team USA.
Still yet to return to his true form, Tiger Woods struggled with his putter and had to settle for a tie for 23rd with a total of -3 on Sunday. John Daly, who was in 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 is not 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 victory at the Masters in April of this year.
The British Open was the second consecutive major golf tournament in which the best European players and others in the world have blocked the United States from the leader board. At the US Open in June, the top three places went to McDowell, the little-known Frenchman, Havret and Ernie Els of South Africa. The lackluster result and performance of the American players in these last two important places 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 you the best of luck as you will surely need something this year. Our players had better hit the golf course and start hitting golf balls to prepare for the challenge ahead.
Congratulations to Louis Oosthuizen for a stellar performance at this year’s British Open. If he continues to play this way, we may soon hear from him. Happy golf everyone!