EAST LONDON - British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen holed a birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off yesterday to add the Africa Open to his trophy collection.
While Oosthuizen sank a nine-footer for a three after a tee shot that took a lucky bounce after appearing destined for rough at the par-four 18th, Spaniard Manuel Quiros and Englishman Chris Wood had to settle for pars.
Oosthuizen (70), Quiros (69) and Wood (68) completed their four rounds on 16-under 276 at East London Golf Club as the absence of wind from the final 18 holes made scoring conditions favourable.
Success was particularly sweet for world number 21 Oosthuizen, who has endured some bad luck since rocking the golf world last year in July with a seven-stroke British Open triumph at St Andrews.
After injuring his ankle while hunting, he finished last at the invitational, the Sun City Challenge last month won by Lee Westwood and missed the Alfred Dunhill Championship cut a week later.
But a third-place finish at the pre-Christmas South African Open in Durban despite battling to drop birdie putts signalled that a recovery was imminent and he was a deserved and popular winner in this Eastern Cape city.
"It was a bit of a struggle as my birdie putts would not drop in the hole," admitted the 28-year-old from the Western Cape town of Mossel Bay who collected a R1.4 million (158,500-euro) cheque in the third 2011 Road to Dubai event.
"I had that bit of luck every champion needs. I hit a terrible tee shot on the play-off hole, but the lie was flat and a sand wedge did the trick," said the South African.
Co-overnight leader Oosthuzien looked like he was going to come up short for a long time and trailed Wood by two strokes until dropping an eagle putt at 15 to draw level.
O'Hara, whose seven-birdie 66 equalled the best round of the day, shared second place on 277 with a couple of South Africans, defending champion Charl Schwartzel and Jaco van Zyl, who closed with a 70 each.
King Louis takes Africa Open crown in EC town
EAST LONDON - British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen holed a birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off yesterday to add the Africa Open to his trophy collection.
While Oosthuizen sank a nine-footer for a three after a tee shot that took a lucky bounce after appearing destined for rough at the par-four 18th, Spaniard Manuel Quiros and Englishman Chris Wood had to settle for pars.
Oosthuizen (70), Quiros (69) and Wood (68) completed their four rounds on 16-under 276 at East London Golf Club as the absence of wind from the final 18 holes made scoring conditions favourable.
Success was particularly sweet for world number 21 Oosthuizen, who has endured some bad luck since rocking the golf world last year in July with a seven-stroke British Open triumph at St Andrews.
After injuring his ankle while hunting, he finished last at the invitational, the Sun City Challenge last month won by Lee Westwood and missed the Alfred Dunhill Championship cut a week later.
But a third-place finish at the pre-Christmas South African Open in Durban despite battling to drop birdie putts signalled that a recovery was imminent and he was a deserved and popular winner in this Eastern Cape city.
"It was a bit of a struggle as my birdie putts would not drop in the hole," admitted the 28-year-old from the Western Cape town of Mossel Bay who collected a R1.4 million (158,500-euro) cheque in the third 2011 Road to Dubai event.
"I had that bit of luck every champion needs. I hit a terrible tee shot on the play-off hole, but the lie was flat and a sand wedge did the trick," said the South African.
Co-overnight leader Oosthuzien looked like he was going to come up short for a long time and trailed Wood by two strokes until dropping an eagle putt at 15 to draw level.
O'Hara, whose seven-birdie 66 equalled the best round of the day, shared second place on 277 with a couple of South Africans, defending champion Charl Schwartzel and Jaco van Zyl, who closed with a 70 each.
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