RORY McILROY has retaken the world number one ranking after Luke Donald could only finish the RBC Heritage in South Carolina last night on two over par.
Donald, who closed with a second successive level-par 71, needed to finish in the top eight at Harbour Town to retain top spot, but was way back in joint 43rd when he completed his round.
The English man lost a play-off to Brandt Snedeker at the same venue last year, but he was never in contention this time around following his opening-round 75.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen produced the perfect response to his play-off defeat at the Masters last Sunday by claiming the Malaysian Open title yesterday.
The 29-year-old former Open champion, who missed out on a second major at Augusta when he lost a play-off to American Bubba Watson, finished 17 under par at Kuala Lumpur Golf Country Club – three shots ahead of Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher.
Oosthuizen admitted yesterday that the 30-hour journey from Georgia had made things tough, but he coped admirably with the jet-lag this week and carded four sub-70 rounds.
He completed his third round (69) earlier yesterday after storms prevented him from doing so on Saturday before keeping his cool to post a final-round four-under 68.
“I thought I was going to be a lot more tired,” he said after clinching his fifth European Tour crown.
“I played well. The game was there so it makes it a lot easier. I had a good week. This morning probably was a bit up and down – not going too well – but then I settled in a bit for the second 18.”
Oosthuizen held a one-shot lead overnight and began the day by producing a steady level-par end to his third round – bogeying 13 before gaining the shot back on 16.
Gallacher briefly joined the leader with birdies on 15 and 16, but a bogey on 17 ensured it was Oosthuizen who led going into the final round.
Birdies on three and five gave the South African daylight over Gallacher and, after his third bogey of the week at the par-four sixth set him back, he responded superbly.
He held his nerve to sink testing putts for birdie on seven and 13 and then made the most of a slice of luck in narrowly avoiding the water on 16 to pick up another shot there and open up a comfortable cushion.
Oosthuizen acknowledged the birdie on 13 had been crucial.
“I knew I just needed to get two ahead and just attack it a little bit more and then I made another good one on 16,” he said.
Reflecting on the improvements in his game since his 2010 Open triumph at St Andrews, Oosthuizen said: “I think it (winning the major) helped me a lot to get my game where it is at the moment. I’ve just been working quite a bit with my coach Pete Cowen and my game is getting where I want it to be.”
