# Louis Oosthuizen

Lodewicus Theodorus "Louis" Oosthuizen (Afrikaans pronunciation:; born 19 October 1982) is a South African professional golfer who won the 2010 Open Championship. He has finished runner-up in all four major championships: the 2012 Masters Tournament, the 2015 and 2021 U.S. Open, the 2015 Open Championship, and the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2021. His highest placing on the Official World Golf Ranking is fourth, which he reached in January 2013.

## Early life and amateur career

Oosthuizen was born in Mossel Bay, South Africa. His early career was supported financially for three years by the foundation of fellow South African golfer Ernie Els. He won numerous amateur titles before turning professional in 2002 at the age of 19.

## Professional career

He won five professional tournaments on the Sunshine Tour before he won on the EuropeanTour: the 2004 Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour event at Arabella, the 2007 Dimension Data Pro-Am and Platinum Classic, and the Telkom PGA Championship twice, in 2007 and 2008.
He played on the European Challenge Tour in 2003 and has been a member of the European Tour since 2004. In 2009, he finished 31st on the Race to Dubai. On 10 September 2012 he reached the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career.
In March 2010, he won his first European Tour event at the Open de Andalucia de Golf. The month after he won the 2010 Masters Par 3 Contest.

## 2010 Open Championship

Oosthuizen entered the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews ranked 54th in the Official World Golf Ranking, and only having made one cut in eight major championship appearances. He shot a 65 on the first day, placing him in second place, behind a 63 shot by Rory McIlroy.
Oosthuizen's 67 on Friday was the low round of the day and gave him a lead that he would not relinquish throughout the final two rounds. His two-day total of 132 tied the record for the lowest 36-hole score in an Open Championship at St Andrews. A 69 on Saturday placed Oosthuizen at 15-under-par, and four shots clear of second-place Paul Casey with one round to play.
On Sunday, Casey closed the gap to three shots on the 8th hole, before Oosthuizen drove the 9th green and made a long putt for eagle. On the 12th hole, Oosthuizen made birdie, while Casey hit his drive into a gorse bush, and wound up making triple bogey to give Oosthuizen an eight-shot lead. In the end, Oosthuizen shot 71 on Sunday, and 16-under-par 272 for the championship, to win by seven strokes. His 272 was the second lowest in St Andrews history. Casey eventually finished third with Lee Westwood taking second.
Oosthuizen became the fourth man from South Africa to win the Claret Jug – following Bobby Locke, Gary Player, and Ernie Els – and moved to 15th in the Official World Golf Ranking, leapfrogging fellow South African Retief Goosen in 16th position.
Oosthuizen said that his exemplary focus during the tournament, which enabled him to win by a wide margin, was due to a red spot marked on his glove. He would look at that spot as the beginning of his pre-shot routine and use it to help him remain focused before and during his swing. Oosthuizen had consulted Karl Morris, a Manchester-based sports psychologist, prior to the event for ways in which he could improve his concentration.

## After 2010

Oosthuizen finished the 2010 season in 10th place on the Race to Dubai, posting three further top-10s after his major win. In January 2011, he claimed his third European Tour title, and his sixth in his home country, winning the Africa Open in a playoff. In 2012, Oosthuizen successfully defended his title at the Africa Open with a two stroke victory over Tjaart van der Walt. His success was helped by a second round 62, which took Oosthuizen to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage and from there he held on for victory.
Oosthuizen was runner-up at the 2012 Masters Tournament. In the final round, he scored an albatross on the second hole of Augusta National Golf Club. This was only the fourth ever albatross in Masters history, and the first to be televised, as well as the first ever on that hole. Oosthuizen took the outright lead of the tournament with this exceptional shot, and maintained the lead until caught on the 16th hole, by Bubba Watson. He was eventually defeated by Watson on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. He won his fifth European Tour title at the Maybank Malaysian Open the following week. In the second event of the 2012 PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs, the Deutsche Bank Championship, Oosthuizen held the 54-hole lead by three strokes and came close to his first victory on US soil, finishing second to Rory McIlroy by one shot. On 10 September 2012, he reached the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career. He finished the season ranked third on the Race to Dubai.
On 13 January 2013, he won the Volvo Golf Champions, shooting a six-under-par 66 final round to win the title by one stroke.
In January 2014, he retained the Volvo Golf Champions title by one shot over Branden Grace.
Oosthuizen finished as a joint runner-up in the 2015 Open Championship at St Andrews after losing in a four-hole aggregate playoff during a Monday finish to the event. He was in the final group tied for the 54-hole co-lead but needed to birdie the 18th hole during his final round to tie the lead at 15-under and join Zach Johnson and Marc Leishman in the playoff. In the four-hole playoff, he birdied the first hole alongside Johnson, but could not convert his birdie putt on the second hole, giving Johnson a one-stroke advantage. All three players bogeyed the third hole and after Johnson missed his birdie putt on the final hole, Oosthuizen had a 15 footer to extend the playoff to sudden death. However his putt caught the lip on the low side and he finished at even-par, one stroke behind Johnson. This was Oosthuizen's second consecutive runner-up placing in a major championship, following the 2015 U.S. Open.
On 13 August 2017, Oosthuizen finished joint runner-up at the PGA Championship, finishing a career "second-place" Grand Slam.
On 9 December 2018, Oosthuizen won the South African Open. This event was co-sanctioned by the European Tour, Sunshine Tour and the Asian Tour.
In December 2019, Oosthuizen played on the International team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. The U.S. team won 16–14. Oosthuizen went 2–1–1 and lost a 3 up lead to halve his Sunday singles match against Matt Kuchar.
In May 2021, Oosthuizen finished in a tie for second place at the 2021 PGA Championship for his fifth runner-up finish in a major championship. In June, Oosthuizen finished in second place at the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California for a sixth major runner-up finish. In July, Oosthuizen finished in a tie for third place at the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, alongside Jon Rahm and behind Jordan Spieth and winner Collin Morikawa.
In June 2022, Oosthuizen joined LIV Golf and resigned from the PGA Tour; following the commencement of the first event on 9 June 2022, the PGA Tour suspended all members who were participating in the new series, including those who had resigned, as they had not been granted a release by the tour.

## Amateur wins

* 2000 World Junior Championship
* 2001 All African Games (Kenya), Transvaal Amateur Stroke Play Championship (South Africa)
* 2002 Indian Amateur Open Championship (tied), Irish Amateur Open Championship, Natal Open Stroke Play Championship (South Africa)

## Professional wins (16)
### PGA Tour wins (1)

* Legend
* Major championships (1)
* Other PGA Tour (0)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 18 Jul 2010 | The Open Championship | 65-67-69-71=272 | −16 | 7 strokes | Lee Westwood |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 2012 | Masters Tournament | Bubba Watson | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2015 | The Open Championship | Zach Johnson, Marc Leishman | Johnson won four-hole aggregate playoff; Johnson: −1 (3-3-5-4=15), Oosthuizen: E (3-4-5-4=16), Leishman: +2 (5-4-5-4=18) |
| 3 | 2021 | Zurich Classic of New Orleans (with Charl Schwartzel) | Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith | Lost to par on first extra hole |

### European Tour wins (11)

* Legend
* Major championships (1)
* Other European Tour (10)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 28 Mar 2010 | Open de Andalucía de Golf | 67-63-66-67=263 | −17 | 3 strokes | Richard Finch, Peter Whiteford |
| 2 | 18 Jul 2010 | The Open Championship | 65-67-69-71=272 | −16 | 7 strokes | Lee Westwood |
| 3 | 9 Jan 2011 | Africa Open$^1$ | 70-67-69-70=276 | −16 | Playoff | Manuel Quirós, Chris Wood |
| 4 | 8 Jan 2012 | Africa Open$^1$ (2) | 69-62-67-67=265 | −27 | 2 strokes | Tjaart van der Walt |
| 5 | 15 Apr 2012 | Maybank Malaysian Open$^2$ | 66-68-69-68=271 | −17 | 3 strokes | Stephen Gallacher |
| 6 | 13 Jan 2013 | Volvo Golf Champions | 68-64-74-66=272 | −16 | 1 stroke | Scott Jamieson |
| 7 | 12 Jan 2014 | Volvo Golf Champions (2) | 68-69-71-68=276 | −12 | 1 stroke | Branden Grace |
| 8 | 28 Feb 2016 | ISPS Handa Perth International$^{2,3}$ | 70-64-67-71=272 | −16 | 1 stroke | Alexander Lévy |
| 9 | 9 Dec 2018 (2019 season) | South African Open$^{1,2}$ | 62-70-67-67=266 | −18 | 6 strokes | Romain Langasque |
| 10 | 11 Dec 2023 (2024 season) | Alfred Dunhill Championship$^1$ | 70-68-63-69=270 | −18 | 2 strokes | Charl Schwartzel |
| 11 | 17 Dec 2023 (2024 season) | AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open$^1$ | 68-69-65-69=271 | −17 | 2 strokes | Laurie Canter |
$^1$Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour $^2$Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour $^3$Co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia
European Tour playoff record (1–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 2011 | Africa Open | Manuel Quirós, Chris Wood | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2012 | Masters Tournament | Bubba Watson | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 3 | 2012 | Barclays Singapore Open | Matteo Manassero | Lost to eagle on third extra hole |
| 4 | 2015 | The Open Championship | Zach Johnson, Marc Leishman | Johnson won four-hole aggregate playoff; Johnson: −1 (3-3-5-4=15), Oosthuizen: E (3-4-5-4=16), Leishman: +2 (5-4-5-4=18) |

### Asian Tour wins (3)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 15 Apr 2012 | Maybank Malaysian Open$^1$ | 66-68-69-68=271 | −17 | 3 strokes | Stephen Gallacher |
| 2 | 28 Feb 2016 | ISPS Handa Perth International$^{1,2}$ | 70-64-67-71=272 | −16 | 1 stroke | Alexander Lévy |
| 3 | 9 Dec 2018 | South African Open$^{1,3}$ | 62-70-67-67=266 | −18 | 6 strokes | Romain Langasque |
$^1$Co-sanctioned by the European Tour $^2$Co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia $^3$Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour
Asian Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 2012 | Barclays Singapore Open | Matteo Manassero | Lost to eagle on third extra hole |

### Sunshine Tour wins (10)

* Legend
* Flagship events (1)
* Other Sunshine Tour (9)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 19 Sep 2004 | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Arabella | 74-70-71=215 | −1 | 1 stroke | Keith Horne |
| 2 | 28 Jan 2007 | Dimension Data Pro-Am | 66-71-71-69=277 | −11 | 1 stroke | Omar Sandys |
| 3 | 25 Feb 2007 | Telkom PGA Championship | 67-65-69-65=266 | −22 | 1 stroke | Richard Sterne |
| 4 | 27 Oct 2007 | Platinum Classic | 64-71-70=205 | −11 | Playoff | Marc Cayeux, Adilson da Silva |
| 5 | 24 Feb 2008 | Telkom PGA Championship (2) | 66-63-66-65=260 | −28 | 14 strokes | Hennie Otto |
| 6 | 9 Jan 2011 | Africa Open$^1$ | 70-67-69-70=276 | −16 | Playoff | Manuel Quirós, Chris Wood |
| 7 | 8 Jan 2012 | Africa Open$^1$ (2) | 69-62-67-67=265 | −27 | 2 strokes | Tjaart van der Walt |
| 8 | 9 Dec 2018 | South African Open$^{1,2}$ | 62-70-67-67=266 | −18 | 6 strokes | Romain Langasque |
| 9 | 11 Dec 2023 | Alfred Dunhill Championship$^1$ | 70-68-63-69=270 | −18 | 2 strokes | Charl Schwartzel |
| 10 | 17 Dec 2023 | AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open$^1$ | 68-69-65-69=271 | −17 | 2 strokes | Laurie Canter |
$^1$Co-sanctioned by the European Tour $^2$Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
Sunshine Tour playoff record (2–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 2007 | Vodacom Championship | Richard Sterne | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2007 | Platinum Classic | Marc Cayeux, Adilson da Silva | Won with par on second extra hole da Silva eliminated by par on first hole |
| 3 | 2011 | Africa Open | Manuel Quirós, Chris Wood | Won with birdie on first extra hole |

## Playoff record

LIV Golf League playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
| 1 | 2023 | LIV Golf Tucson | Danny Lee, Carlos Ortiz, Brendan Steele | Lee won with birdie on second extra hole Ortiz eliminated by par on first hole |

## Major championships
### Wins (1)

| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 2010 | The Open Championship | 4 shot lead | −16 (65-67-69-71=272) | 7 strokes | Lee Westwood |

### Results timeline

Results not in chronological order in 2020.
| Tournament | 2004 | 2006 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | CUT |
| U.S. Open | | | | |
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | | CUT |
| PGA Championship | | | 73 | CUT |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | 2 | CUT | 25 | T19 | T15 | T41 | T12 |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T9 | CUT | WD | T40 | T2 | T23 | T23 | T16 |
| The Open Championship | 1 | T54 | T19 | WD | T36 | T2 | CUT | CUT | T28 |
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T21 | | T15 | T30 | T22 | T2 | |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Masters Tournament | T29 | T23 | T26 | WD | WD | |
| PGA Championship | T60 | T33 | T2 | T60 | | |
| U.S. Open | T7 | 3 | 2 | CUT | | |
| The Open Championship | T20 | NT | T3 | CUT | T23 | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut WD = withdrew "T" = tied NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 9 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 10 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 9 |
| Totals | 1 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 25 | 58 | 37 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 15 (2017 PGA – 2021 Open Championship)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (2021 PGA – 2021 Open Championship)

## Results in The Players Championship

| Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| The Players Championship | CUT | CUT | T19 | CUT | T69 | T28 | T2 | CUT | T56 |
| Tournament | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| The Players Championship | C | T41 | T42 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place C = Cancelled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic

## Results in World Golf Championships

Results not in chronological order before 2015.
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Championship | T32 | T50 | T68 | T20 | | T18 | T60 | T33 | T40 | 6 | T14 | T48 | T30 | T25 | T51 | T6 | |
| Match Play | | | | R64 | | R64 | R32 | R32 | QF | QF | 2 | T17 | R16 | QF | NT$^1$ | T61 | T35 |
| Invitational | | | | | T9 | T37 | 4 | | 61 | T42 | T21 | T50 | T24 | T20 | T6 | T17 | |
| Champions | | | | | T72 | T7 | T6 | T15 | T14 | T44 | T45 | | | 3 | NT$^1$ | NT$^1$ | NT$^1$ |
$^1$Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play NT = no tournament "T" = tied Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009. Note that the Championship and Invitational were discontinued from 2022.

## Team appearances

Amateur
* Eisenhower Trophy (representing South Africa): 2002
Professional
* World Cup (representing South Africa): 2011
* Presidents Cup (representing the International team): 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019