Louis Oosthuizen wins South African Open

The South African finished six clear of Romain Langasque of France

Louis Oosthuizen wins South African Open
Louis Oosthuizen wins South African Open
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Louis Oosthuizen fired a final round of 67 at Randpark GC to win the South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg by six shots from France’s Romain Langasque.

Louis Oosthuizen wins South African Open

Louis Oosthuizen won his home open for the first time. He recovered well from a bad start in the final round at Randpark Golf Club to cruise to a six-shot victory in the South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg.

Oosthuizen took a three-shot lead into round four, but with two dropped shots in his first three holes, that advantage was down to just one.

A birdie on the par-5 4th and an approach to six feet on the 6th took him back into a three-shot lead and he was not seriously challenged from that point on.

A great putt on the 7th resulted in another birdie and the 2010 Open champion then drove the 9th green and got down in two to lead by five at the turn.

Frenchman Romain Langasque bogeyed the 3rd but birdies on the 4th, 6th, 9th, 12th and 13th propelled him up the leaderboard. A brilliant second to four feet on the par-five 14th set up an eagle and took him to within three of Oosthuizen.

But after finding trouble from the tee on the 16th, the Qualifying School graduate fell back to 12-under and Oosthuizen had a comfortable lead once more.

The South African put his second on the par-five 14th to two feet for an eagle and a six-shot lead and he led by seven after a stunning approach on the 16th. Despite dropping a shot on the short 17th, he cruised home to a six-shot victory.

Oosthuizen joins Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Bob Charles, Ernie Els and Henrik Stenson as the only players to have won The Open and South African Open.

“I knew today was either going to be very special or heartbreaking, he said. “I know there's only a few that have won The Open and the SA Open so I'm very chuffed to have my name on this.”

Closing with a 66, Langasque earned one of three spots available for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush next July. 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel and England's Oliver Wilson claimed the other two places.

Home player Jovan Rebula finished as leading amateur on six-under.

South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg Randpark GC, Johannesburg, South Africa 6-9 December Purse: €1,250,000 Par: 71

1 Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 62 70 67 67 266 2 Romain Langasque (Fra) 69 68 69 66 272 T3 Bryce Easton (RSA) 68 69 71 66 274 T3 Thomas Aiken (RSA) 67 68 72 67 274 T3 Oliver Wilson (Eng) 73 66 68 67 274 T3 Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 67 63 72 72 274 T7 Brandon Stone (RSA) 71 67 71 66 275 T7 Yikeun Chang (Kor) 70 65 72 68 275 T7 Anthony Michael (RSA) 67 71 69 68 275 T7 Haydn Porteous (RSA) 68 70 68 69 275 T7 Branden Grace (RSA) 66 68 71 70 275 T7 Jbe Kruger (RSA) 66 67 72 70 275 T7 Jeff Winther (Den) 68 69 68 70 275 T7 Madalisto Muthiya (Zam) 63 68 71 73 275

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.  

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?