"Shrek" wins British Open at St. Andrews

Louis Oosthuizen wins the British Open:

Louis Oosthuizen walked over the Swilcan Bridge toward a British Open victory that was never in doubt Sunday at St. Andrews, another big moment in sports for South Africa.

This celebration, though, carried a different tune.

The drone of vuvuzelas, all the rage at the World Cup, was replaced by the skirl of bagpipes coming from behind the Royal & Ancient clubhouse. For the 27-year-old South African, the sound could not have been sweeter.

With a performance that rivaled the dominance of Tiger Woods at the home of golf 10 years ago, Oosthuizen, a 200-1 long shot, led over the final 48 holes and blew away the field by seven shots.

"To win an Open championship is special," Oosthuizen said. "But to win it at St. Andrews ... it's something you dream about."

The timing could not have been better — one week after South Africa concluded a wildly popular World Cup, and the day Nelson Mandela celebrated his 92nd birthday.

"It felt a bit special, really," he said. "When I walked down 18, I was thinking about his birthday."
...
He finished at 16-under 272 and became the first player since Tony Lema in 1964 to win his first major at St. Andrews.

Just as Lema did when he won, Oosthuizen ordered bottles of champagne for the press.

Never mind that everyone struggled to pronounce his name. All that mattered was the spelling on the bottom of that claret jug. And yes, the engraver used the abbreviated version, Louis, not his given name of Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen.

With the fifth victory of his career, Oosthuizen moved to No. 15 in the world.
...
[T]here was only that gap-tooth smile that earned him the nickname "Shrek" from his friends. And there was amazement across his face when he cradled the oldest trophy in golf, a silver claret jug with his name etched alongside Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and the other South African winners: Gary Player, Bobby Locke and Ernie Els, his mentor.

Without the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation in South Africa, Oosthuizen, the son of a farmer, could not have afforded the travel required to reach the game's highest level.
...
"Shrek is on the move. I knew he had a lot of talent. He grew up in an area (Mossel Bay) that's very windy, so for him, these conditions are normal. The guy's got one of the best swings on tour. I think he'll be around for many years to come."

Some 45 miles away, Player was returning from a golf outing and listening to every shot on the radio, proud as can be. He saw the potential during a practice round they played at the Masters this year.

Player called Oosthuizen on Sunday morning and gave him a pep talk.

"I told him he's got to realize that lots of people are hitting bad shots," Player said, not knowing how few of those the kid would hit. "And I told him the crowd was naturally going to show a bias. But I reminded him when I played Arnold Palmer in 1961 at the Masters, only my wife and my dog was pulling for me. I told him he's got to get in there and be more determined to win."

BTW Oosthuizen is pronounced Oosthayzen. He was born 19 October 1982.