Volvo Golf Champions, Awesome Oosthuizen Wins

Louis Oosthuizen / getty images

Louis Oosthuizen won the Volvo Golf Champions tournament in South Africa at the Durban Country Club on Sunday. He shot an awesome last round 66,  -6 under par, for a -16 under par total, to win by one shot from Scott Jamieson, who could only manage a par round of 72, and watched as the title slipped through his fingers, he finished at -15 under par.

This win is Louis’ sixth European Tour title and one that elevates him to a career-high fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking, pushing England’s Justin Rose down to fifth in the world.

In interview Louis said;

” It was a great week, a lot of things happened. It’s a great start to the year, I knew I had to come out and get my name up there. After being five down, to make it up after 12 holes, I was really chuffed about that. I just played really well all day.”

Scott Jamieson had no shame in losing out to a Major Champion, but was annoyed about his double bogey on hole 5:

“Louis is a Major Champion, there’s no shame in losing to him, I gave it my all, but it wasn’t to be. The double bogey was a kick in the teeth, but I had tons of chances and couldn’t take them.”

Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand secured  third place at – 14 under par, closing with a round of 68, with Ireland’s Padraig Harrington also closing with a -4 under par 68, to climb to fourth position on his own at -12 under par for the tournament.

Grace wins Volvo Golf Champions in playoff

Branden Grace beat his more experienced countrymen Ernie Els and Retief Goosen in a playoff to win the Volvo Golf Champions on Sunday at The Fancourt Links in South Africa. The three South African players had finished the final round in a tie on 12-under. Grace, who had earlier missed a three-foot putt for birdie on the 18th in regulation play that would have secured victory, said about his triumph;

“It’s awesome. It’s been amazing, and it’s nice to sit here again on a Sunday afternoon as I did last week,”

“You know you’ve got a three-footer and if you make it you’re a hero. I didn’t think I hit a bad putt, to be honest. But the confidence from last week played an important role. I was lying in bed the night before the final round reading a couple of articles and saw that there were seven players with 13 Majors chasing me. I thought it’s a big field behind me. But I just stuck to what I was doing.”

“Standing on the tee with Ernie and Retief in the playoff was unbelievable. I was very calm though. It’s one of those awesome things to know I’ve beaten two of my idols in a playoff.”

 

 

Volvo Golf Champions – Colsaerts Powers Back.

Nicolas Colsaerts powered his way back into contention with a four- under-par 69 in the third round of the Volvo Golf Champions tournament at The Links at Fancourt, South Africa. Nicolas was tied for the lead with the second round leader Branden Grace on ten-under-par at the end of a day. He said of his effort;

“I was really glad that I put another good round together today after yesterday. It’s always difficult when you play that good on a course like this and nothing goes according to plan.”

Charl Schwartzel and Retief Goosen were tied for third on nine-under. Schwartzel shot a best- of-the-day 68, and Ryder Cup Captain Jose Maria Olazabal remained in contention on eight-under despite a double bogey on the par-three 17th.

Charl thinks the conditions would suit a home player best;

“I said at the beginning of the week that it is a golf course you need to know well. The first two days were pretty easy but it just shows that with a little change in the weather it is a completely different golf course.”

The weather conditions were much more difficult today than on the first two days, although the rain eventually ceased when the leading players were midway through their rounds.

Branden Grace started shakily, dropping three shots over the first seven holes and then recovering to grab birdies on the 9th and 11th holes. Unfortunately he had two double bogeys on the back nine which were offset by four birdies.

Humana Challenge- Toms Still There

David Toms, Ben Crane and Mark Wilson all share the lead at the Humana Challenge at the PGA West course in La Quinta, California. The trio are at -16 after the second round, three shots ahead of their nearest rivals, headed by Camillo Villegas.

Phil Mickleson had a better round today, 69 for a total of -1, but is still a long way from making the cut, a point he mentioned in his after round interview;

” After a rough start today, being three over, I played the last thirteen six under. Played much better and I’m excited about how I was playing heading into this tournament. But, I’ve had a bit of a slap in the face with my first two scores. I’ll try tomorrow to go out and play a good round, hopefully make the cut. Get a bit of momentum heading into next week’s event in San Diego.

Phil tried out a new driver today and it seemed to work pretty well, hitting it much straighter than yesterdays effort.

New Zealand’s Danny Lee gad another 3 under round 69 to finish the second day at -6. He is playing steady golf and making a good impression, while flying the flag for NZ.

 

Volvo Golf Champions – Grace leads after 2nd roundr

Branden Grace took over at the top of the leader board after the second round of the Volvo Golf Champions at The Links at Fancourt, firing a 66 to be at -12 for the tournament. He is now four shots clear of  Thomas Aiken in second place who is  at -8.

Nicolas Colsaerts went from four ahead to four behind in a dismal start to his second round eventually scoring a 76 finishing at -6 and six shots off the lead. Lee Slattery of England is tied for second place with a commendable round of 65, a real improvement from his first round effort. Compatriot Tom Lewis slipped to a 74 and is now eight stokes from the top.

Biggest surprise of the day was the great performance from Ryder Cup Captain  José María Olazábal who had a beautiful round of 68 today to add to his first round 71 . This gives him a tournament total of -7 and is in fourth spot on his own. Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington continue to struggle with the course and are now 8 shots adrift of the leader.

Volvo Golf Champions – Colsaerts Leads

Nicolas Colsaerts leads the Volvo Golf Champions tournament in round one after he birdied nine of the last 11 holes. His nine-under-par 64 is a record for The Links at Fancourt course. After the round he commented; ”I can reach most of the par-fives in two so it’s quite a bonus when you get to birdie the par-threes. ”  He also sank  a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-three second, “pretty much the longest putt I holed all day.”

Nicolas Colsaerts (AFP/Getty Images/File, David Cannon

 

Twenty one year old  Englishman Tom Lewis shot a 68 to be in close contention, along with  South Africans Branden Grace and Thomas Aiken.  Grace said his round could have been even better.

“I missed a couple of short ones but I kept hitting the ball well and giving myself chances. It will be nice to see how I can follow it up.”

Padraig Harrington got to six under but drove into some trouble on the par-five 18th,  He said the tee shot on the last was a mental error, and had ruined what should have been,  ”a comfortable six-under.” philosophically adding “Such is life.”

- (Photograph: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

 

Ernie Els dropped two shots on the first three holes, he then rallied to gain birdies on the last three holes, which enabled him to dip under par to finish at -1. He said about the day, ”I played here I think about eight to ten times through the December holiday, making six, seven, eight birdies with my mates but it’s different when you are playing competitive golf. I’m glad I got it under par and I’m not out of the tournament.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volvo Golf Champions

An exciting mix in the  field of new stars and seasoned campaigners are this week preparing to line up in the second edition of the €2million Volvo Golf Champions at its new home, the Links at Fancourt, in South Africa. A €350,000 winner’s cheque will secured them a place in The European Tour’s ‘tournament of champions’. The 2011 Major Champions Darren Clarke and Charl Schwartzel lead the field and are joined by other major winners, including Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Els commented;

“Obviously I love playing in South Africa and have won five of my European Tour titles there. I have great memories of playing at the Links at Fancourt, both in professional events and when on holiday there, and I’m looking forward to trying to win The European Tour’s first true ‘tournament of champions”.

“South African golf is in great shape at the moment, which is apparent by the number of South Africans in the field. Dr. Hasso Plattner’s vision in creating The Links at Fancourt will provide the perfect stage to showcase the wonderful golf opportunities offered in South Africa.”

Of the seasoned campaigners, two Ryder Cup captains are teeing up for this event. José María Olazábal and Colin Montgomerie will bring their enormous experience into the arena. By contrast in the experience on display, will be two of the more exciting youngtsers to grace the links in recent years. The new talents in European golf with 18 year old Italian Matteo Manassero and Englishman Tom Lewis 21, will be keen to compete against the old school players.

The Volvo Golf Champions is an exclusive, limited field event with no halfway cut, open only to European Tour players who have won an event on the previous year’s European Tour International Schedule. Joining them are the winners of the first two events of the 2012 season, the Africa Open and the Joburg Open. Other entries include current Tour Members, under the age of 50, with more than ten European Tour victories.

Three time major winner Ernie Els struggled on the greens last year which then affected his ability to have fun on the course, he bemoaned this loss saying,

“I’ve kind of lost my sense of humor, you know. When you don’t putt well your sense of humor doesn’t work very well. I’d like to get my sense of humor back. My work ethic and determination, especially this year, is better than ever because I had such a dismal season last year.”

“I would like to really turn things around this year and see if I can win some tournaments again.”

He needs to turn things around because he doesn’t qualify automatically for the Masters in April.

“I know where I stand and I know what I need to do. I have a couple of months to rectify that. I don’t want to be asking for an invite there.”

Padraig Harrington  also a three-time major winner, now ranked 89th in the world also finds himself in a similar position. He understands though that you can not win every year, talking about his two British Open titles and a PGA Championship victory.

“I certainly had a peak year in 2007 and another peak in 2008. It’s impossible to always have peak years. It doesn’t worry me in the greater scheme of things, because I know you can’t win them every year. You have to sit there and be patient and wait for your turn, and like 2007 and 2008, they all come at once.”

ALLAN HENRY / US PRESSWIRE