Louis Oosthuizen Passes Mentor With 5-Stroke Lead in British Open

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Surprise. Intrigue. Newcomers. Proven veterans. Spry old guys. Play suspended, not by rain, but wind. Faltering favorites. Two days into the 150th British Open, golf's oldest major championship is at St. Andrew, the game's oldest course, hell bent on providing a show unlike any before.

It starts with the 36-hole leader, unknown South African Louis Oosthuizen. Just how unknown is he? After being invited into the media interview center after shooting 67 to go 12 under, the leader by five shots was welcomed as "Peter," most likely confused with Peter Oosterhuis.

The confusion is understandable. The 27-year-old may have claimed his first European Tour victory earlier this year after four wins on the South African Tour, but when it comes to major championships he is a long way from recognized. In six previous starts the O-man has five missed cuts with his best finish being 73rd at the 2008 PGA Championship.

"Yeah, it wasn't very great, was it?" Oosthuizen said of this record in the majors. "But it was a matter of not believing in myself, I think. Everyone around here is telling me, 'you've got the shots, you're playing well,' and again, that win earlier this season just got my mind set in a different way."

When the long day finally ended in darkness, there were plenty of golfers in need of a little mental adjustment.

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Pick your poison. Players, like Oosthuizen, who had drawn early tee times, went out in rain and wind. Those who began later played dry condition, but in WIND!!!

Ever struck a putt while standing in a jet wash?

"That was one of the toughest days out of the golf course I can ever remember," Scotsman and former British Open champ Paul Lawrie said.

By early afternoon, winds straight off the North Sea were blowing with such force -- 35 mph and stronger -- balls were moving on the greens, causing officials to call the conditions unplayable and suspend competition for more than an hour.

"I would say it was unplayable for a wee while before they stopped it to be honest," Lawrie said.

Share "When you are over three- and four-foot putts and the ball is oscillating all the time, I think it's unplayable."

Even when play resumed, the winds continued to brutalize, blowing some high hopes away.

One day after opening with a British Open record opening-round 63 to build a two-shot lead, Northern Ireland wonder lad Rory McIlroy labored to an 80 and now is 1 under.

McIlroy, who previously had played nine competitive rounds at St. Andrews all of them in the 60s, equaled the 63 shots he used Thursday to complete 14 holes on Friday.

"I think all the guys were finding it tough this afternoon and I just let it get away from me," McIlroy said.

Likewise for John Daly, who followed Thursday's 66 with 76 and fell to 2 under and into a tie for 29th.

Tiger Woods was the extreme exception, beginning the afternoon 5 under, he bogeyed two holes to start, but regrouped and grinded to a 1-over 73.

Woods is 4-under and very much in the chase at eight shots back of the leader.

Those, however, lucky enough to go off early were able to play a much easier golf course.

The results were 50-year-old American Mark Calcavecchia shooting 67 and resting 7 under; Englishman Paul Casey posting 69, despite a triple bogey at No. 17; and Brit Lee Westwood carding 71, and finishing 6 under.

Others of note include another U.S. Champions Tour representative, Tom Lehman, and reigning U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell, both shooting 68 to stand 5 under.

But there is so much more work left to do.

Oosthuizen's five-stroke lead equals the largest 36-hole lead in the British since the post-war era. Of course, when Bobby Clampett held the same advantage in 1982 at Royal Troon he did not win.

Dating back to 1968 at the Open Championship, the 36-hole leader has prevailed 15 times in 42 attempts.

The leader, however, has a slightly-removed Open Championship bloodline.

If a South African was going to be on the leaderboard, the likely guess would have been former British Open winner and three-time major champ Ernie Els. But while Els followed an opening 69 with a second-round 79 and missed the cut, Oosthuizen will carry the Big Easy's proxy.

Oosthuizen, the son of a farmer, comes from a tennis-crazy family, but was attracted to golf. The problem was the cost of junior competition.

It was about then the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation began identifying young South Africans from families of limited resources.

He was 17 when he began with the foundation, remaining with it until turning pro.

"It was unbelievable what he did for me, traveling around the country, helping with expenses, things like that," Oosthuizen said. "He's such a good mentor. And probably without him, those three years I've been in his foundation, I wouldn't have been here."

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