EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN
All dressed up: Oosthuizen on the night of the Gala Dinner at the Ballantine’s Championship in Seoul, Korea, April 2013
Champagne Louis Alex Jenkins sits down with world number eight Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open champion, for an exclusive interview at the recent Ballantine’s Championship in Korea.
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We’re at the Ballantine’s Championship – but coming from Mossel Bay, where you own a restaurant, you’re probably a bit more interested in wine than you are the sponsor’s product ... [Laughs]. True! Although I did try a little bit of whisky at the Gala Dinner, which went down well. But you’re right. The restaurant we have – Route 57 – is doing well and we now have the Louis 57 range of wines. We’ve just launched the Double Eagle, which is a sweet wine, and the Open Championship, which is a shiraz. It’s a good hobby to have on the side. I’ve got a good mate and we use his winery. It’s all going really well and we’re now looking to take it overseas. The big news for you over the past year has been moving your family to a base in Florida. How difficult a decision was that to make? It was interesting. After I won The Open I wanted to give myself a chance on the PGA Tour. You have to play with the very best in the world. The first year – in 2011 – I didn’t like it; I didn’t play very well. But I told myself to give it at least three years to see how I settled in. Then I had a great 2012 and really started loving the place and the types of golf courses. It was then that I decided to move. My kids are still very young, so it made sense to move before they started school. HKGOLFER.COM
James Cheadle
T
h ere are good times to interview a professional golfer, and there are bad ones. This was looking for all the world like the latter. Just moments earlier, Oosthuizen had missed a five-footer for par on the final hole of the second round of the Ballantine’s Championship, which was taking place at the impressive Blackstone Golf Club in Seoul’s chilly hinterland. The South African hadn’t played badly at all – he was still very much in contention – but that bogey on 18, his only dropped shot of the round, looked for all the world to have darkened his mood. “He doesn’t look very happy, does he?” said a Ballantine’s representative helpfully as we watched him trudge off the green. I had never met the 2010 Open champion and, to be honest, I was a little nervous after watching what had just happened. Talking to a jetlagged Afrikaner who has just three-putted from within birdie range doesn’t have all the hallmarks of a great interview. But I needn’t have worried. Oosthuizen, it would seem, likes the press – he was the first Open winner to send champagne into the media centre since Tony Lema in 1964 following his victory at St Andrews – and minutes later, up in the interview room, Oosthuizen walks in after signing his card and introduces himself with a broad smile – that famous gap-toothed grin – and a friendly handshake ...
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That’s right, although we’re quite a bit smaller than Ernie’s foundation. We’ve got eight kids, all from around the Mossel Bay area and we go to the local schools to find kids who really want to play – who maybe can make a living out of golf one day. It’s all about giving them opportunities to play in tournaments, which is something I benefitted so much from with Ernie. The oldest is 17 and the youngest is only 11 and they’re a great bunch. One of our little ones just finished second in his age division at the World Junior Championship, so it’s great to see the guys playing well. Another young golfer who is playing well and who is much in the news is China’s Guan Tianlang. What did you make of his achievements at Augusta? Well, I saw him on the range, but I wasn’t very happy that he beat me [laughs]. He was great. He’s not a long hitter of the ball because he’s still very young, so to play that golf course the way he had to – going in with rescues and woods into the par-4s – was something else. For a 14-year-old to make the cut – I don’t think we’re going to see that again for a while. Obviously the Masters provided plenty of rules drama following the Tiger drop, but what are your thoughts on the slow-play penalty imposed on young Guan? You know, there are a few things to probably look at. With Woods, I think the officials misinterpreted the rule completely. With Guan, I think it was his fourth or fifth warning, but maybe they could have handled it better by letting him play first and telling him afterwards. He was in a situation where he’s trying to make the cut – and I think he was pretty close to the cut line at the time – so it was probably better waiting until after to have a chat with him. But you know, this game can be tough. I don’t think it was an easy decision for [referee] John Paramor to make, but he had many warnings, so he had a chance [to speed up]. It looks like you’re going to miss the US Open because your wife is expecting your third child during the same week. How has fatherhood changed the way you approach the game? Yeah, golf is what I do for a living but it’s definitely not everything to me. I’ve got two beautiful kids and a lovely wife and I enjoy the time we have together. They travel with me a lot, 44
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too. It’s great walking off the course and going to the house or hotel and seeing them. They don’t give a damn how my day on the course was, but it’s just a great way to relax afterwards.
Vintage Louis: Oosthuizen moments after the conclusion of this interview. “I’d love to go out and gives these old clubs a go,” he said
The Open returns to Scotland in July for the first time since you won at St Andrews in 2010. What is it about links golf that you so enjoy? All the different shots you can play. You’ve got five options playing it from 50 yards out. On any other golf course you’ve only got one or two options, so I like the shot-making opportunities of links golf and I’m sure Muirfield , which I have never played, is going to be a great challenge. There are not many times the defending champion has a chance to defend the Claret Jug on a course he’s won on before, which will be the case for Ernie this year, so it’ll be good be fun to see what happens. If you’ve never played Muirfield you’ll presumably be quizzing him about the course as much as possible? I will try and play all the practice rounds with him. It’s more about seeing the way he plays the course; seeing what clubs he takes off some of the tees. But with all the experience he’s got I’m going to make sure he shows me a few things out there for sure. How fresh are your memories of 2010? You almost forget what it was like until you put in the DVD and watch those final nine holes. It’s a great memory. I haven’t actually watched it for a while but I will before Muirfield. The thing that was nice was having that lead playing 17 and 18. I was really able to take it all in. Normally in a major that’s not the case. Like at Augusta last year. I didn’t take anything in because the last two holes and the play-off were so intense. It was great at St Andrews to be able to walk up 18 and have the luxury of being able to four or five putt and still win. And then a lengthy session in the Jigger Inn afterwards ... [Laughs]. Yeah, that was a great time. We left there late and then continued in the house we were staying in afterwards. There were four of us – my wife and I and two friends. Great memories. My little girl was six months old and she was sleeping upstairs while we carried on. Where do you keep your Claret Jug? My replica is back in South Africa. I also have four half-size versions. One of those is at the restaurant, one is with my dad and the other two are at the golf club in Mossel Bay. HKGOLFER.COM
James Cheadle
You have said before that being a part of Ernie Els’ junior foundation was instrumental in helping you make the decision to turn pro, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that you’ve started your own junior golf academy ...
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2010 was the 150th anniversary of The Open and as well as the Claret Jug you were also presented with a replica of the Challenge Belt, the championship’s original trophy ... Yes, that was a sweet deal [laughs]. The belt is in my safe back in South Africa. Whenever I’m back at the farm I’ll take it out and wear it around the place, but otherwise it’s in the safe. Are you at all disappointed that the R&A has decided to make a few changes to the Old Course? I’ve really got no idea of the changes, none whatsoever. I heard they were going to do something but I couldn’t tell you what [laughs].
Yeah. KT Kim [Kim Ky ung-tae] played beautifully today. I don’t want to count the number of putts he had because I had so many! So he stands a chance. I hope guys like KJ Choi and YE Yang can get on the team. They’re both great putters and you need to putt well at Muirfield Village. But yeah, I’m really looking forward to the week, especially after missing out
How do you explain the rise in recent times of South African players? Yourself aside, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Richard Strerne, George Coetzee, Tim Clarke and Ernie Els all look like making the International side ... All of us have to give Ernie and Retief [Goosen] the credit for winning their majors, as we all wanted to follow in their footsteps. Trevor [Immelman] came along and won at Augusta, and although he’s struggled with injuries he’s playing better now. Timmy has also come back from injuries. Me and Charl grew up together, we played junior golf together, and we’re probably going to play all the better ball matches together because we’re so comfortable in each other’s company. South Africa is a sporting nation and whenever we get in a situation to win we want to show the rest of the world that South Africa is on the map. Speaking of Charl, and as ridiculous as it sounds, he seemed more disappointed than you were last year after you narrowly missed out at Augusta ...
[Laughs]. Well, yeah, I know he really wanted to be handing the Green Jacket over to me – that would have been something else; for two guys who grew up playing golf in South Africa to almost be involved in something like that. It was sad; it would have been a dream come true. We’ve talked about it a lot ... he’s a great friend and you never know, maybe it will happen in the future. I know the International Team has lobbied to try and have the format for the Presidents Cup changed so that it’s the same as the Ryder Cup – ie playing for a total of 28 points instead of 34 and a reduction in the number of foursome matches – but that’s not going to be the case this time around. How important do you think that decision will prove to be? Yeah, it would be nice to have the same system as the Ryder Cup, which allows you to have your strongest team out there every time. But I think we have a great chance anyway. All of us who look like making the team know each other and we’re going to try and play a few more practice rounds together. The team spirit is definitely there, so it’s just a matter of how much we want it.
How well do you know Nick Price, the captain of the International side? I’ve gotten to know him really well in the last year. Me and Charl often go up and see him – he lives quite close to us in Florida – and have a barbeque and we like to shoot clays together. He’s a great guy. Coming from Zimbabwe, he’s one of the guys we looked up to growing up. I remember watching him win all those Million Dollar events in South Africa on TV when I was little. It’s going to be great fun with him and Tony Johnstone and Mark McNulty as his assistants. Your swing is one of the most admired in the game, with everyone from Nick Faldo to Johnny Miller raving about your rhythm. But has it always been like that? I think my rhythm is pretty close to how it’s always been but the swing itself has changed quite a bit. I’m always working on it, sometimes with my coach Pete Cowen, trying to get rid of that wayward shot that can cost a double bogey. At the end of the day, when you’re not swinging well you go back to your old natural swing. Sometimes that’s a good thing; sometimes it’s not. But my play at The Masters [where he missed the cut] was more down to my putting than anything else. If you’re back at home and not got an event on, how would you spend your perfect weekend? Watching the Miami Heat play on the Friday night and then watching my team – the Stormers – play rugby on TV on the Saturday morning. Then we’ll put something on the grill, usually some steaks, and chill out in the pool on Sunday with the kids. That’s pretty much my perfect weekend.
AFP
The ecstasy of winning the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews in 2010 (note the Challenge Belt, top); the agony of losing to Bubba Watson for The Masters last year after the American’s miraculous escape during the play-off (opposite).
2013, of course, is a Presidents Cup year. Coming here to Korea – is that a good chance for you to catch up with a few potential teammates?
two years ago in Melbourne. I think this year we’re going to have a lot of South Africans on the team, so it’s going to be a special week.
“Golf is what I do for a living but it’s definitely not everything to me. I’ve got two beautiful kids and a lovely wife and I enjoy the time we have together. They travel with me a lot, too, but they don’t give a damn how my day on the course was.”
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