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Little-known Louis Oosthuizen has joined some of the legends of golf with a commanding seven-stroke British Open triumph at St Andrews.
Cool as can be, Oosthuizen carved a final-round one-under-par 71 to finish with a 72-hole total of 16-under 272 – just three shy of Tiger Woods’ record score at the home of golf in 2000.
The 27-year-old former farm boy is only the fourth South African to win the Open, following all-time greats Bobby Locke (149, 1940, 1952 and 1957) and Gary Player (1959, 1968 and 1974) and 2002 champion Ernie Eels, his schoolboy mentor.
Oosthuizen is also the first player to land his maiden major at the birthplace of golf since American Tony Lema in 1964 after blowing away all challengers in the gripping 150th anniversary Open.
Known as Shrek in the locker-room, Oosthuizen monstered the famous Old Course with four brilliant rounds of 65-67-69-71.
His first-round seven-under is the lowest opening round ever by an Open winner.
Remarkably, Oosthuizen only went in one bunker all week, on the 14th hole on Sunday.
“It’s unbelievable,” Oosthuizen said after wishing former South African president Nelson Mandela a happy 92th birthday in his victory speech.
“It’s probably going to hit me tomorrow, what I did, but I felt like I played well the whole week.
“After the 12th today, it became a bit difficult actually on that back nine, having such a big lead.
“I had to keep calm and keep focused. I’m glad I had eight shots in the 18th tee box.
“But I felt like I kept cool and calm the whole way.”
Englishman Lee Westwood, always the bridesmaid but never the bride, carded a final-round 70 to finish second at nine-under 279.
Westwood, who was also runner-up at the Masters in April and equal third at last year’s US British Open and US PGA championships, made birdie at the last on Sunday to vault clear of a bunch of players at eight-under 280.
Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy was one of them, but oh how the 21-year-old whiz must be ruing his nightmare eight-over 80 in the near-unplayable conditions on Friday afternoon.
The Ulsterman fired a wonderful first-round 63 – the equal-lowest score in major golf history – but slipped 11 behind Oosthuizen when gale force winds of 60kph swept across St Andrews.
Oosthuizen was safely in the clubhouse when the elements were wreaking havoc on half the field, including McIlroy, Woods and top-ranked Australian Robert Allenby.
Swede Henrik Stenson and England’s Paul Casey – who was playing in the last group with Oosthuizen – also finished at eight under.
After starting the day five behind, Casey closed to within three shots of Oosthuizen when the South African bogeyed the eighth.
But a devastating triple-bogey seven on the 348-yard par-4 12th cruelled his slimming hopes of becoming the first English champion to lift the Auld Claret Jug since Nick Faldo at Muirfield in 1992.
After reigning supreme at St Andrews in 2000 and 2005, Woods had been bidding to become the first player ever to win three Opens at the home of golf.
But any fanciful ideas he may have had of a dramatic last-day charge vanished when the world No.1 racked up a double-bogies on the fourth and sixth holes to slip back to under for the championship.
The world No.1 recovered to finish the tournament at three under, but it was only good enough for a four-way tie for 23rd.
Allenby and fellow Australian Adam Scott finished one shot further back in equal 27th.
AAP djw/dfb