'Shrek' Oosthuizen Maintains 4-Shot Lead Into Final Round of British Open

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- What do you think of Louis Oosthuizen now?

When the unknown 27-year-old South African introduced himself to the British Open by zipping to a lopsided five-shot lead after two rounds of play, the obvious reaction was to yawn and ask for a Sunday afternoon wake-up call.

Early leaders in major championship golf are as predictable as smoke in the wind. And considering St. Andrews has been all but swept away this week by 35-40 mph gusts whipping in from the North Sea, Oosthuizen's early success came with no small level of staying-power suspicion.

All the doubt did not mystically vanish Saturday, but then, neither did Oosthuizen. That means, now, it really gets serious.



Share After a steady, at times artful, round of 3-under 69, the player with one career European Tour victory is 15 under and four shots clear going into the last day.

"You know, I'm really happy with myself, keeping my emotions intact, playing the last round Saturday, leading and the way I played," Oosthuizen said. "I could only control myself. If someone came through shooting 64, there's nothing I can do. Tomorrow I'm going to do pretty much the same and just go out there and never get ahead of myself."

Paul Casey, hoping to become the first Englishman to win the Claret Jug since Nick Faldo in 1994, stands as the leader's closest challenge, 11 under after carding 67.

Germany's Martin Kaymer (68) is 8 under and seven back, followed by Sweden's Henrik Stenson (67), England's Lee Westwood (71) and Spain's Alejandro Canizares (71) at minus 7. American Dustin Johnson is 6 under.

Casey made an early and quick charge, birdieing Nos. 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 to move within one shot of the leader, but Oosthuizen never wavered.

"I would love to replicate that tomorrow," Casey said of his round. "But I'm not sure it would be enough with the way Louis is playing. But I was happy with it."

If Oosthuizen is feeling any pressure holding the lead, he has yet to show the signs. Coming down the stretch with the enormity of his situation growing, the man friends call Shrek rolled in a 45-foot putt for birdie at 16 and then drove the green on the 357-yard par-4 18th. He narrowly missing a 22-foot eagle attempt but tapped in for birdie.

"I looked at the scoreboard and every time I made a birdie, it seemed he answered," Casey said.

All the same, it's hard to ignore history. Just last month, Johnson took a three-shot lead into the final round of the U.S. Open, only to quickly start triple bogey, double bogey, bogey and disappear with an 82.

And who doesn't remember Frenchman Jean Van de Velde's British Open in 1999? For that matter, you do not have to be all that unknown to find a way to go down in major championship flames. Ask Greg Norman about that Sunday at Augusta National.

"It was just one of those funny days in golf, and we all have them," Johnson said of his torment at Pebble Beach.

That's exactly what will make Oosthuizen's four-shot lead seem so uncertain. There's golf and there's major championship golf. There's major championship golf and there's final-round major championship golf. That makes for funny days. Everybody has them.

"Well, you know, I don't think anyone was thinking I was going to be up there," Oosthuizen said. "I mean, you've heard yourself. No one can actually say my surname, so they don't even know who I am out there."

Thirty players broke par Saturday, but plenty of others were reminders of the trapdoors lurking on the Old Course.

Mark Calcavecchia, in second place when the day began, made 9 on the par-5 fifth hole, and needed to play the back nine 2 under just to post 77. Phil Mickelson was 4 under on the day and in the process of climbing into contention, when he double-bogeyed 16 and bogey 17 before settling with a 70 that left him well back.

And then there was Tiger Woods, who is still trying to be Tiger Woods. A second-straight round of 73 left him 3 under, 12 shots back and tied for 18th.

Oosthuizen, however, insists he will not fear the challenge. It is there to be embraced and enjoyed.

"Oh, definitely," he said. "It's not every day you play in the final group leading the Open Championship."

Of course, that's the problem.