DURBAN – Louis Oosthuizen overcame a five-shot deficit with a final round of 66 to beat Britain’s Scott Jamieson by one stroke to the Volvo Golf Champions title at Durban Country Club on Sunday. Report by Supersport
Jamieson had started the day on 15-under, and enjoyed a five-stroke lead over Oosthuizen, Thongchai Jaidee and Julien Quesne, but could only manage a final-round 72 and had to settle for sole second.
Oosthuizen, who yesterday surrendered the lead as he struggled to a 74, birdied two of the first three holes to put the pressure on Jamieson. Further birdies at the sixth and eighth holes rounded off an outward nine of 32, and he had reduced the deficit to one by the turn.
Birdies at the 10th and 11th holes propelled him into the lead and despite bogeying the par-four 16th after finding the greenside bunker, Oosthuizen’s two-putt pars at the 17th and 18th holes were enough to clinch victory.
“I played the complete opposite of what I did yesterday,” he said. “Yesterday I felt really uncomfortable – my swing felt long and unstable. This morning I worked on a few things on the range and put my head down. I knew if I could just put a score up there, or just get close to Scott, that I had a good chance.
“At first I just tried to make as many birdies as I could. I made bogey on 16, but then I saw Scott did too, and I made two good pars on 17 and 18 which was enough,” the 30 year-old added.
Oosthuizen’s win is the sixth consecutive South African success in a European Tour event at Durban Country Club and it also marks the third successive year in which his European Tour season has started with a win in his native country.
