Golf:Louis Oosthuizen is up to a career-high fourth in the world after coming from five shots back to win the Volvo Golf Champions in Durban today. The 2010 British Open champion shot a closing 66, the joint-lowest final round, to beat Scotland's Scott Jamieson — five clear of the entire field overnight — by one.
Third was Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee while Padraig Harrington continued his move through the field over the weekend to finish fourth following a round of 68.
Jamieson will not forget Durban in a hurry — but not for all the right reasons now. The 29-year-old, who was looking to add the trophy to his Nelson Mandela Championship win at Royal Durban last month, almost forced a play-off, but his chip for eagle on the 273-yard last stopped two inches from the hole.
Instead he became the first player since Hennie Otto five years ago to lose a Tour event from five clear with a round to go. Jamieson still held that advantage after picking up shots at the third and fourth today, but double-bogeyed the next after driving into the bushes and did not have another birdie until the 18th.
“Louis’s a major champion — there’s no shame in losing to him,” said the world number 100. “I gave it my all, but it wasn’t to be.”
He can content himself with the fact that he has started the season first, third and second. “I’ll take that — absolutely,” he added. “The double bogey was a kick in the stones, to put it politely, but I had tons of chances and couldn’t take them.”
Jamieson will move up to around 70th in the new rankings tomorrow — a personal best for him too — and if he can make it into the top 50 by the end of March there will be the reward of a US Masters debut. That has been his dream ever since he was a student at Augusta State University and was allowed to play the world famous course once a year.
Oosthuizen lost a play-off to Bubba Watson there last April, of course, and in his last eight starts has had seven top-10 finishes to push Justin Rose down to fifth in the world. “It was a great week — a lot of things happened,” said the 30-year-old, who won an excavator for his farm when he was part of the winning team in the day’s pro-am format on Friday.
He followed that 64 with a 74, but was back to his best with six birdies in the first 11 holes today. Another came when he two-putted from just over the green of the long 14th, but from two in front he missed a three-foot par putt on the 16th.
When Jamieson came to the hole, however, he pushed his approach into a plugged lie in the bunker and took five as well.
Most of the players now move on to Abu Dhabi, where world top two Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods play for the first time in 2013 — McIlroy with new clubs.
Collated final round scores & totals
(Gbr & Irl unless stated,
Irishin bold, par 72)
272Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 68 64 74 66
273Scott Jamieson 69 64 68 72
274Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 65 68 73 68
276 Padraig Harrington70 71 67 68
277Danny Willett 69 70 70 68, Julien Quesne (Fra) 72 67 67 71
278Paul Lawrie 69 70 70 69, Branden Grace (Rsa) 75 67 69 67
279Francesco Molinari (Ita) 70 70 68 71, Richie Ramsay 69 73 70 67, Shane Lowry70 69 70 70, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 69 70 72 68, Matteo Manassero (Ita) 75 69 66 69, Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 73 67 71 68, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 72 69 70 68
280Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 69 70 72 69, Jamie Donaldson 69 72 73 66
281Paul Casey 74 69 69 69, Ernie Els (Rsa) 68 72 71 70
282Retief Goosen (Rsa) 72 70 70 70, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 75 70 69 68
283 Darren Clarke75 68 71 69, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 72 70 70 71
284 Robert Rock 70 74 70 70
285 Michael Hoey72 74 66 73
286Marcel Siem (Ger) 74 74 72 66
288Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 76 71 73 68
289Ricardo Santos (Por) 76 76 65 72
290Colin Montgomerie 72 78 70 70, Darren Fichardt (Rsa) 78 70 75 67
292Thorbjorn Olesen (Den) 75 72 74 71
293Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 74 72 72 75, Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 75 73 70 75
