Louis Oosthuizen, a hometown favorite, showcased his impressive putting skills by making six birdies on the back nine, finishing with a score of 62 to take the lead after the first round of the European Tour’s South African Open on Thursday.
Oosthuizen’s flawless round included a total of nine birdies, putting him one shot ahead of Zambian Madallitso Muthiya and American Kurt Kitayama, both of whom also had strong rounds with scores of 63.
Oosthuizen and Muthiya navigated the shorter Bushwillow Course at Randpark Golf Club, where most of the low scores were recorded, while Kitayama played on the Firethorn Course, setting himself up in a good position.
Despite never winning the national Open championship before, Oosthuizen, the highest-ranked player in this year’s field, has been in good form after finishing third at the Nedbank Challenge last month.
After making the turn at three under par, Oosthuizen continued his strong play with back-to-back birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, followed by birdies on the 14th, 16th, and 17th holes, marking his best round on the tour since the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Reflecting on his performance, Oosthuizen mentioned, “My game’s good, it’s trending in the direction I want it to be. There’s still a lot of work to be done to really be where I want it to be, but I’ve been doing a lot of different things with my coach and just getting a feel for a few more things.”
Muthiya also had a strong start with five birdies in his first six holes but slowed down on the back nine, finishing with a score of 29 after the front nine.
