Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Local know-how helps Oosthuizen to triumph
LOUIS Oosthuizen made the most of course knowledge as he claimed a second win in a week on a layout he co-designed at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
The 2010 Open champion helped course architect Peter Matkovich sculpt Heritage La Reserve Golf Club and made his local know-how count as rounds of 68, 69, 65 and 69 handed him a two-shot victory over England’s Laurie Canter.
The South African now has two wins in six days after claiming his first in five years last Monday at the weather-delayed Alfred Dunhill Championship.
“I’m glad I could pull this off this week, it’s sort of a dream come true being able to play a tournament on a golf course you helped design and end up winning it,” he said.
“Golf is the strangest thing. The last five weeks I’ve not done a lot with golf, I’ve played a few rounds and when I got to Leopard Creek I was working on a small little thing.
“I started hitting it really good and I know I’m putting well and then I just carried on with that momentum.”
Oosthuizen did not have it all his own way in the final round as he saw his one-shot overnight lead quickly wiped out after two early bogeys but six birdies in 10 holes put him back in control.
He held a one-shot lead on the 18th tee after a bogey on the 16th but birdied the last to get to 17 under and hold off Englishman Canter, who signed for a bogeyfree 68.
Oosthuizen’s win means that players from LIV Golf have won five of the first six events on the new DP World Tour season after Dean Burmester’s double at the Joburg and South African Opens and Joaquin Niemann’s win at the Australian Open.