SA pair pack a punch
PRESIDENTS CUP: OOSTHUIZEN, GRACE PERFORM SUPERBLY IN THE WIND
International side struggles on opening day.
Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace provided a bright spot for the International team on Thursday when they continued their brilliant partnership to post another victory against the United States.
After winning four matches in the previous event in South Korea, the South African duo beat American Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger 3&1 in windswept conditions at Liberty National.
It was the only victory in five foursomes (alternate shot) matches by the Internationals, who also eked out a half in another match to finish the opening day trailling 3-1/2 to 1-1/2.
“We knew we needed to do something,” 2010 British Open champion Oosthuizen said after he and Grace improved to 5-0 as partners. “In the middle (of the round) we didn’t hit very good shots but we knew it was going to be a grind all day.
“Then we started really flushing the ball and really giving ourselves putts for birdies and making pars. In these conditions today, par on some holes is good enough to win.”
Grace, a low-ball hitter, was at home in the wind, and relieved to help his team avoid what could have been a terrible first day.
“It was nice to hit clutch shots when it mattered,” he said.
“We get along great and don’t give each other too hard of a time out there when things get tough. It was just a grind, especially on a day like today.
“You know somebody is going to make a mistake and you know to lift the other one up and I think we do that great.”
International captain Nick Price kept Oosthuizen and Grace together for yesterday’s four-ball, when they faced Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler. – Reuters
It’s something I have heard many times on a golf course: “I wouldn’t mind playing golf for a living... it can’t be that difficult.” Heck, I’ve said it a few times. Doing something you love, dayin, day-out, is only reserved for the select few. No more sitting behind a desk, but rather spending your time plying your trade on the fairways and greens of South Africa’s beautiful golf courses. Or if you are really lucky – and talented – on the world’s best layouts.
But it couldn’t be further from the truth. Carving out a living as a professional golfer is hard work, and only the best cut it.
What you see on television while watching the US PGA and European tours is only a glimpse of what professional golfers experience week-in, week-out.
Time away from family, exhausting travelling schedules and lengthy sessions on the practice greens, driving ranges and in the gym is all part and parcel of what a professional golfer endures daily.
And only a select few make it.
I had the privilege of playing with Portuguese golfer Antonio Rosado this week at Glendower Golf Course, the venue for January’s SA Open.
The occasion was the seventh edition of the Sunshine Tour Media Challenge – a matchplay event that gives the media a chance to mingle with the professionals and witness their vastly superior skills close up.
Each year the organisers give the media a handful of advantages and extra shots, yet each year the professionals hammer us.
You will battle to meet a nicer guy than Rosado, who moved to the country just short of four years ago.
The 33-year-old Rosado, married to a South African, always has a smile on his face and says he has seen it all in more than a decade of trying to make it.
“The older golfers will always tell you, ‘have a good short game, and you’ll do well’. I disagree,” he says. “Sure, if you can’t putt you can’t win.
“But if you can’t drive, don’t bother playing because a wild or poor drive takes you out of the hole. A three-putt can still get you a point or two.”
I think he was just being kind after watching me butcher another chance from close range on the green.