SA Rocks

Oosthuizen took control of the Open de Andalucia de Golf in Malaga on Sunday and came away with a win.

A bit more info from southafrica.info:

Leaderboard

He posted rounds of 67, 63, 66, and 67 on the par-70 course for a 17-under-par total of 263.

Richard Finch of England and Scotsman Peter Whiteford shared second on 266 after closing with rounds of 67 and 66 respectively. Coles and Francesco Molinari tied for fourth on 268, followed by six players tied for sixth on 269.

Thomas Aiken, the only other South African to make the cut, shared 36th place on three-under-par 277.

Tribute to Els

After his victory, Oosthuizen paid tribute to his mentor, Ernie Els, saying: “I would not be the golfer I am today without all the help I have received from Ernie.”

Oosthuizen became a member of the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation in the year of its inception, 1999. The Foundation’s mission is “To identify talented young South Africans from families of limited resources and provide them with educational assistance and playing opportunities in order to produce successful young leaders and golfers.”

With his win, Oosthuizen became the first Foundation member to win on the European Tour, making Els a happy man.

source – southafrica.info

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Els claims his first victory in two years and this after finishing a tied 67th place at the Honda Classic last week.

This shows the class of the man and the handle he has on his practical game and mental abilities.

From SuperSport:

“I found something just before dark and I couldn’t wait to get out here and try it. I kept working on it and basically by Thursday I started getting a bit of an idea,” he said.

He put the idea into practice and on Sunday the 40-year-old South African claimed his first tour win in two years in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral.

Els’s last victory, at the Honda two years ago, ended a four year barren spell for him at US tour events but while he talked up his chances then, this time he is striking a considered tone.

“I said a bit too much last time I won,” Els said after he beat compatriot Charl Schwartzel by four strokes on Sunday.

“I was a bit too cocky. I want to just enjoy this one. This took so much work to win.

“A lot of people have said that the older you get, the tougher it becomes to win and that’s very true.

“I’m 40 years old and it feels like in my twenties I had so many chances and I didn’t quite take them,” he said.

Source – Supersport

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It’s true. Ernie won something. The first something in nearly four years, but a tournament win nonetheless.

This win surprisingly bumps him up to 3rd in the world behind Phil Mickelson and, of course, Tiger Woods.

Else finished 6 under for the tournament at the Honda Classic in Palm Beack to take the win ahead of Luke Donald and Nathan Green.

Els’ first victory in America for four years, incidentally, came on a tough PGA National course where strong winds meant the kind of skills needed to win an Open were just as handy as a track record of success in the US Open. Whatever the bookmakers say about Tiger clinching the Grand Slam this summer, if it’s breezy at Birkdale in July then the Big Easy, arguably the best wind player in the game, will mount a formidable obstacle in his path.

source: scotsman.com

I played golf on Sunday (best round of my long golfing career – don’t ask) and the topic of discussion turned to Ernie. We were harsh, firm, supportive and questioning why he just couldn’t win. I suppose he hit a slump, blue funk or a bad patch. But it’s over and the Big Easy is back to making it look so easy.

Well done Ernie.

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Ernie won is 7th title at Wentworth today beating Argentinian, Cabrera.

Apparently Els played a fantastic round and took down Cabrera 6 and 4 in the final round.

“It is absolutely a dream come true. I would never in my wildest dreams have thought I could win this seven times,” said Els, who also won in 1994-96 and 2002-04. “It truly feels unbelievable. The course is obviously my home course. It has been a great week.”

Well done Ernie, you’ve made it a great weekend for SA sport!

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