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Round-up of the weekend

Posted by: Adam Smith on Mon 19 Jul 2010

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2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen It feels like the day after the night before.

My last four days were filled up with golf from the moment I got up to the end of the day and now nothing.

But what an interesting few days they were.

Louis Oosthuizen blew the field away at St Andrews to claim his first major with a 16 under par total.

The 27 year-old won by seven shots after a final round 71 on a day his nearest rivals just fell away.

No-one ever really troubled the South African as he looked the liked the calmest man on the planet playing the famous links.

Paul Casey, who started the day four shot adrift, did manage to get within three after the 8th hole, but when we all felt like this could be the charge we had been waiting for Oosthuizen rolled in a mamouth eagle putt on the 9th after driving the green.

Casey’s challenge finally ended on the 12th after he drove into gauze bushes and took a triple bogey seven.

For the second time in a major this season Lee Westwood finished second with a final round of 70.

The world number three moved a step closer to the possibility of becoming the World number one after poor finishes from Tiger Woods and Phil Mickleson.

Westwood could reach the peak as they all play in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio next month.

Oosthuizen dedicated the in to birthday boy Nelson Mandela who was 92 yesterday and said heartfelt thanks to Ernie Els and Gary Player.

Oosthuizen was in the Earnie Els foundation in South Africa which gave him a real kick start in his career and said that a phone call from the great Gary player really inspired him:

“We had a chat in my home language Afrikaans. He said to stay calm, have a lot of fun and that the crowd was going to be on Paul's side.
“Then [Player] told me the story when he played against Arnold Palmer when he won his first Masters. He said they wanted to throw stuff at me, but he was so focused on beating him in Augusta.
"It meant a lot him phoning me up. He's just a great guy."

Rory McIlroy, leader after the first day finished in a tie for third alongside Casey and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.
McIlroy shot a 68 on the final and was cursing Friday’s round of 80 in a tournament of what might have been for the young Northern Irishman.

England's Robert Rock shot a third round in the 60s as he ended in a tie for seventh place with US pair Sean O'Hair, Nick Watney and Germany's Martin Kaymer, who started the day with hopes of victory but five bogeys on the back nine ended his challenge.

Three shots further back was Woods, who is still searching for a 15th major title after falling short in his quest for a third straight Open victory at St Andrews following his win by eight shots in 2000 and five shots in 2005.

In case you were wondering there was also an event on the US Tour this week.

Matt Bettencourt secured his maiden victory as he bounced back to secure the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open title.
Despite having led at the halfway stage, the 35-year-old had endured a torrid third round as he dropped three shots off the pace after carding a 75.

However Bettencourt recovered brilliantly with a final-round 68 seeing him finish on 11-under winning by one shot.