Momentum. Momentum. Momentum.
That's what Louis Oosthuizen has been riding for what seems like the entire year. The South African and 2010 Open Champion currently leads the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. Georges Golf Club with an impressive score of 11-under par (64,65) and a one-shot lead over Collin Morikawa. In fact, Oosthuizen's score is more than impressive, it's record-breaking. His total of 129 is the lowest 36-hole score ever recorded at an Open Championship.
Going into the tournament, Oosthuizen was a favourite amongst many, including us here at TGR. His string of major performances this year, including top-2 finishes at both the US Open and PGA Championship, led many to think that his time has finally come for another major win.
And he is certainly on his way to doing so. After a bogey-free opening round of 64, Oosthuizen followed up with a 5-under 65 today, in a round that included a bogey at the par 3 16th hole and an eagle at the par 5, 14th hole. His putting was solid and driving was very accurate, particularly during his second round; attributes that will reward you especially on a links course.
Royal St. Georges played uncharacteristically benign during the first two rounds. Today's round in particular featured lower winds speeds and slightly slower greens. Oosthuizen was not the only player taking advantage of these conditions. The low score of the day was a 6-under par, shot by Collin Morikawa, Emiliano Grillo and Jon Rahm. The cut has also been set at 1-over par. Conditions are forecasted to worsen on the weekend however, with wind speeds predicted to be in the 15-30 mph range. This will make for some interesting rounds of golf.
Finally, we mentioned that Oosthuizen was our top pick this week, but let's see how the rest of our picks are doing so far:
1) Louis Oosthuizen: Leader at 11-under
2) Paul Casey: T7 at 5-under
3) Ian Poulter: T31 at 2-under
Not bad at all. Casey is also continuing his streak of great golf and was able to make moves when he needed to, including a nice string of birdies on the 7th, 8th and 9th holes during his second round today. Given the weather forecast and uncertainty over the weekend, he is definitely still in contention. Poulter opened with a 72 on Thursday but followed it up with an aggressive 4-under 66 today. He also had a birdie steak on holes 7-9 and has shown he can score low at Royal St. Georges. He will be looking to make a big move on Saturday to put himself in a good spot for the final round.
Two rounds down at the 2021 Open Championship, but things are only getting started. The weekend rounds are always filled with tension and excitement.
Stay tuned for our next post on Sunday/Monday to see who has won,
-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment