• The Open Championship, Round Four

Oosthuizen makes history at the home of golf

ESPN staff
July 18, 2010
Louis Oosthuizen won his first Major title at St Andrews © Getty Images
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Open Championship gallery: Round Four

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen showed unflappable poise to hold off his rivals and win the Open Championship by seven strokes at St Andrews.

The world No. 54 led by four strokes heading into the final day, and he produced another impressive round to card a 71, 16-over for the tournament to become the fourth South African to win the event.

Oosthuizen had never made the cut in three previous Open appearances, but he had one hand on the prestigious Claret Jug with a spectacular eagle-two on the ninth, and heading into the infamous Road Hole, he had extended his lead to eight strokes.

"It's a dream winning the British Open, but to win it at St Andrews is something special," Oosthuizen said after wishing former South African president Nelson Mandela a happy 92nd birthday.

Paul Casey was Oosthuizen's playing partner on Sunday and needed a strong start to make inroads into Oosthuizen's lead, but he had to wait until the sixth hole to pick up a birdie.

The Englishman was left to rue a triple-bogey seven on the 12th as his challenge faded away. Casey missed the chance to tie for second with a birdie putt on the final hole, and had to settle for tied third.

Lee Westwood finished agonisingly close once again, with outright second. The world No. 3 finished third behind winner Stewart Cink last year and went one better when he hit four birdies in a final-round 70 to move up to second, nine-under par.

First round leader Rory McIroy was left to contemplate what might have been if it hadn't been for his second-round 80, with a third sub-70 round of 68 to share third place with Casey and Sweden's Henrik Stenson.

Luke Donald birdied the infamous 17th hole before an eagle on the 18th to finish with a flourish. Donald's impressive finish saw him pick up three shots on his final two holes to finish tied for 11th on five-under for the tournament.

Sergio Garcia was one of 12 players one shot further back on four-under. The Spaniard, who has endured a poor start to the season, will have done his hopes of a Ryder Cup place no harm with a consistent string of 71-71-70-72 this week.

World No. 1 Tiger Woods failed to make it a hat-trick of victories at St Andrews. The three-time Open champion, who won the title on the Old Course in 2000 and 2005, had a mixed round of 72, including five birdies, a bogey and two double bogeys to finish on three-under.

Woods was tied for 23rd alongside home favourite Stephen Gallacher and US Open champion Graeme McDowell.

Korea's Jin Jeong was the winner of the silver medal for the best amateur. Jeong topped off an impressive week with an eagle on the final hole to finish four-under par.

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