Louis pins his sights firmly on Open crown at Sandwich

Louis Oosthuizen didn’t quite create the separation of 11 years ago at St Andrews but it looks ominously like the South African can do so over the weekend of the 149th Open Championship.

The sweet-swinging Oosthuizen ran away with the 2010 Open on the Old Course. When he eagled the 14th to go three clear in the summer gloaming at Sandwich, it seemed likely to be happening again.

A bogey at the short 16th means his lead is just two over Collin Morikawa and three over Jordan Spieth, but after so many runners-up positions in majors since St Andrews, you have to think this is Louis’ big chance for a second major.

He’s not taking anything for granted, however.

“You try not to think about winning,” he said. “The first time I thought about winning in 2010 was on the 17th tee on Sunday. It’s St Andrews and you understand that anything can happen.

“It’ll be the same here, a lot can go wrong on this golf course. I won’t even be thinking about winning until we’re in position late on Sunday.”

Louis’ 65 for an 11-under 129 smashed the 36-hole record for the Open, but he wasn’t even aware of that.

“I was told when I came in but didn’t know that,” he said. “To be part of any record in an Open Championship is special. But I think we got… I won’t say lucky but we had the best weather on the back nine that you could possibly have on this golf course.”

The eagle at 14 came after a four-iron Oosthuizen was actually trying to lay up, but it got a good hop and he holed out from 20 feet. Without a bogey for 33 holes, he finally dropped a shot hitting into Thomas Bjorn’s bunker at the short 16th.

Spieth was in a three-way tie for first place when he was playing the 14th with Oosthuizen on the 12th. But failure to even birdie the long hole playing easiest on the course, followed by a bogey at the 15th, meant he was four behind when Louis eagled the 14th.

Although Oosthuizen’s first mis-step at the 16th got Spieth to within three, the 2017 champion found the last six holes of his 67 “kind of frustrating”.

“I got really just in a weird head space, like fatigued there on like the 13th green as we were waiting and hitting putts,” he said.

“I just didn’t stay focused like I was early in the round, wasn’t very sharp. It’s an easy solution for tomorrow, just bring more food on the course.”

Spieth rationalised his position as: “Second-to-last group on a Saturday is good”.

“I was eyeing a number lower than what I finished at, as Louis is showing. They’ll let the greens firm up because that will be the defence of the golf course.

“That was the case the last time the Open Championship was held here. It puts more of a premium on hitting out of the fairway for sure.”

There was plenty more movement just off the main leaderboard – Brooks Koepka started to hole putts and shot 66, Jon Rahm scored a 64 to get himself back in the tournament – although still six behind – and Dustin Johnson had a 65.

And after his equipment outburst on Thursday, Bryson Dechambeau was apologetic. He shot a par 70 to make the cut.

“I’ll say it again: I’m very, very sorry,” he said. “I misspoke in a heated moment. That got the best of me.

“There are things going on right now that everybody latches on to. I am 27, I am human, I make mistakes.”

REPEAT: Louis Oosthuizen is showing the same ruthless form that led him to previous Open glory in 2010, taking a two-shot lead into today.