Louis’ gamble does not pay off
Sun City – Vanquished South African hope Louis Oosthuizen said he could not have done much differently as Lee Westwood snatched the Nedbank Golf Challenge crown from him yesterday with a fantastic final round of 64 on the daunting Gary Player Country Club course at Sun City.
Westwood’s amazing performance saw him finish four shots clear of Oosthuizen and three ahead of Sergio Garcia, who led after the first three rounds.
Oosthuizen shot an entirely respectable 69 in the final round – which included a double-bogey on the last as he went for a miraculous eagle that would have forced a playoff – to finish on 11-under-par 277.
The 36-year-old was still leading after 14 holes as he sunk a number of superb birdie putts to be six-under-par for his round, but his bogey on 15 was a turning point as his slippery downhill putt from the fringe went 10m past the hole and he could not make the par putt coming back. With Westwood making birdies at the daunting 16th and 17th holes, it was basically game over.
“I played good golf, I attacked nicely and I made a lot of birdies, I made a good run at it.
“But Lee was great, to make five birdies in seven holes on the back nine was phenomenal.
“I had a good day, I played well and if I had screwed up a lead it would be a different story.
“I wouldn’t do a whole lot differently if I had the chance,” Oosthuizen said after his best finish in the tournament, beating his fourth position in 2012.
No one can say Oosthuizen did not make every effort to catch the flying Westwood, and Sergio Garcia, who led after each of the first three rounds but finished second, also felt he had done his best.
Oosthuizen arrived at the 17th hole already two shots behind. His birdie putt shaved the hole and then on the last he had nothing to lose in his pursuit of an eagle and a playoff.
“That putt on 17 really took the wind out of my sails, it was such a good putt but it just didn’t go in and I knew I really needed that for the chance of a playoff,” he said.
“And then on 18 I hit it way right. I could have killed someone when my second shot rebounded off the kerb of the cart path.
“But I had to take it on and try and get a miracle – whether I finished second, third or fourth didn’t really matter.”