In a recent interview with The Golfing World Louis Oosthuizen expressed his desire to win The Masters and this week he could get the job done.
‘‘I know what I need to do to win at Augusta, and that means playing my best golf. I want to win a green jacket and achieve a life-long dream. My game is good enough to do it and I’ve seen every shot I need to play,’ said Compleat Golfer’s playing editor.
In 2012 his putt somehow stayed outside the hole at the 18th on Sunday, which meant playoff holes with Bubba Watson, who famously hooked a shot from the pine straw to win the tournament.
‘I’ve been close to winning at Augusta before, but I came up just short. Losing to Bubba (Watson) in a playoff was hard to take, but coming that close meant I did a lot right,’ said Oosthuizen.
The South African is regarded as having one of the best swings in the world, which is part of why he manages to contend at marquee events and majors. Tougher courses demand rounded performances and King Louis is capable of producing them. He won The Open at St. Andrews in 2010 and was runner-up there last year after a playoff with Zach Johnson.
This week at Augusta National he’s got plenty to play for, but it will take his best golf to overcome the power trio of Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, and Rory McIlroy.
‘You’ve got to be on every single part of your game,’ said Oosthuizen. ‘You’ve got to drive it well, your iron play needs to be on point, and you’ve got to have a good week on the greens.’
‘The more you play at Augusta, the more you learn how it suits your game. I’ve found a way to play it and I’ve started loving it. I feel comfortable around the golf course and I can’t wait for the tournament to start,’ he added.
The 33-year-old missed the weekend at The Masters in 2013, but in the last two years he’s finished tied-25th and tied-19th, respectively.
He missed the cut at last week’s Shell Houston Open, but that will have allowed some extra rest time for the Mossel Bay local, who a week prior finished runner-up to Jason Day at the WGC-Dell Match Play.
Oosthuizen has a solid chance to win the year’s first major, but he needs to retain focus throughout the 72 holes.
‘Mentally I want to be prepared for the week. You’re going to hit bad shots, you’re going to make mistakes, but hopefully I can do well enough to have a chance on the back nine on Sunday,’ he said.
‘This is definitely a second-shot golf course, but you have to put yourself in position off the tee. You need to have a game plan going around Augusta, because you’ll be in big trouble trying be aggressive from the get-go. If I can pull off the right shots then I should have a good chance to win,’ he concluded.
