13th June, 2012
Two months after the bitter disappointment of losing a playoff for the Masters, South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen is hoping a recent dip in form will not derail his tilt at a second major title at this week’s US Open.
The 29-year-old has triumphed twice worldwide this season but has not been at his best in recent weeks, missing three cuts in his last four PGA Tour starts.
“I’m probably not where I want to be going into the US Open but I feel like I am really close,” Oosthuizen told Reuters on a sun-drenched afternoon at the Olympic Club on Monday.
“The season has been good, it’s just the last month that I haven’t really felt comfortable over the golf ball. I’ve worked on a few things and I feel a lot better now.”
He launched his 2012 campaign with a successful title defence at the Africa Open, then rebounded from his Masters disappointment in April with victory at the Malaysian Open.
“Overall, I am very happy with the season,” the South African world number 16 said. “I’ve just got to take it on from here and try to do the same that I did in Houston and Augusta.”
Oosthuizen, who won his only major title with a commanding seven-stroke victory at the 2010 British Open, finished third at the Houston Open in April, a week before his playoff loss to American left-hander Bubba Watson at the Masters.