Compleat Golfer’s playing editor is Louis Oosthuizen and this month he tells us about his PGA Championship success.
Well, that was close, and a birdie on the final hole of The PGA Championship means I have now finished second at all four Majors. Obviously I’d have liked those seconds to have been wins, but this was my best result of 2017.
It was great to be in contention again and I’ll be raring to finally add to my 2010 Open Championship win when 2018’s Majors come around.
The depth in our sport is amazing and winning a Major is so tough, but congratulations to those who won this year: Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. We’re certainly seeing a lot of first-time Major champions.
Heading into The PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, I was hitting the ball well enough. I played the front nine in practice with Charl Schwartzel and knew it would be tough and long, also because the course was quite wet in the lead-up to the tournament.
But the greens were quick and it was pointed out to me that I was ranked No 1 on the Tour in terms of putts from three feet and that I had not missed from that distance all year.
Ultimately I finished in a tie for second, two shots behind and the long putts didn’t drop. It was quite an eventful tournament for me because in the third round I bent my 8-iron hitting the root of a tree and Ping built a new club for me overnight.
I flexed my right arm a few times as I certainly could feel it, but on Sunday I wore a strip which helped free the muscle down my arm and allow me a proper golf swing.
After the disappointment of missing the cut at The Open at Royal Birkdale, it was good to be in the weekend mix and have that nervous energy on the Sunday.
As I said at the beginning of the year, I had two goals for 2017. One was to put myself in with a chance at the Majors, and Quail Hollow was a reward for all the hard work I’d put in. The second goal I had was to ensure I had enough FedExCup points accumulated early on to not be on the back foot when September came round.
I went into The PGA Championship in 46th position, having played 14 tournaments. By the end of the weekend I had moved up to 33rd before the playoffs. It gave me plenty to look forward to before the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston and the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Course.
I had changed my schedule for 2017 to spend more time at home in the US, allowing
me to see more of the family and hopefully earn valuable points heading into the FedExCup playoffs.
I’ve also been able to ink a few more dates into my diary and I’ll be heading home in November to tee it up at the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City. I’ll also be taking part at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at the end of November and I’ll play at the Joburg Open too. It will be a great time to catch up with familiar faces, but also to hopefully be able to say thank you to those fans who have supported me week-in and week-out while I’m on Tour.
– Louis is Compleat Golfer’s playing editor, he writes a monthly column in the magazine
