Louis Oosthuizen

I just want go back to, obviously, a very important week of your life. I was there when you won The Open in 2010 and it just looked like the perfect week at the perfect time. Have you always felt The Open is something that’s within your reach?

No. I mean, at that stage I had just won my first European Tour event. I never thought I could come close to winning a Major that quickly. I like links golf and I like St Andrews, and that week I was hitting it so well that I didn’t really put myself in any danger the whole week. I didn’t look like making a worse score than bogey. Now and then I made a bogey, but I putted great that week.

It’s always been a thing for me that, often I’d be striking the ball well, but I wouldn’t be making any putts. It’s not that I’d be putting terribly, I just wouldn’t make anything.

I think America made my putting so much better. The greens are so nice and soft. It’s all speed and line, whereas in Europe, you need to adjust more. You’ve got to see it at a different speed. It’s just different.

And for that weekend in St Andrews, I felt everything come together. I played beautifully the whole weekend. I think at Augusta this year, it was probably as close as I’ve come to how I hit it in 2010. I actually felt that in the Playoffs a few weeks ago, when I finished second to Rory, I was probably hitting it better than when I was playing in the Masters.

You have been getting into contention quite a lot recently. Do you sometimes think the next win is just around the corner?

You know, the Americans are making a big fuss that I haven’t won over there yet. As long as I’m in contention in a lot of tournaments going into a Sunday, I give myself an opportunity and I know it’s gonna happen. I’ve come close in the Deutsche Bank, in Houston as well as Augusta. So if I can just keep on doing that, I’ll be very happy. 

How have you handled the pressure and the opportunities that come with being a Major winner? There must be plenty of business interests and distractions. Is it quite hard to keep focused?

Actually it keeps me going once I’m off the golf course. We’ve started a restaurant here in Mossel Bay, called Route 57. I’ve also got my academy, which is going along nicely. It all keeps me motivated to play well on the course. Once I’m out at the golf course or at the tournament, I don’t think about anything else. I’m there to win the tournament and to do my best. But off the course, it motivates me to do even better.