Former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen was the most consistent player on the PGA Tour in 2021 in the four Major Championships. The South African finished third or better in three of the four big events in the sport.
Oosthuizen ended the weekend in a tie for second in the PGA Championship, he was second in the US Open behind Jon Rahm, while in the Open Championship, he finished in a tie for third place.
Throughout his fantastic career, the man from Mossel Bay has had 11 top-10 finishes in the major tournaments. His highlight so far is his success at St Andrews when he lifted the Claret Jug at the 2010 Open Championship.
Oosthuizen will now be preparing for the 2022 US Masters. He is +4000 in the betting on golf for the tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. The man who is nicknamed Shrek has made the cut in each of the last eight years at the Georgia venue, another sign of his fantastic consistency in the big events.
Closest Oosthuizen Has Come at Augusta Was in 2012
It has been 10 years now since Oosthuizen finished runner-up in the US Masters, losing in a playoff to Bubba Watson. It was a cruel blow for the South African to take as he played so well across the four days.
A final round of 69 left the 2010 Open winner on -10 alongside Watson. Both players parred their opening playoff hole. It was then Oosthuizen who made the first mistake, bogeying the second hole, handing the victory to the American.
The best Shrek has done at the Masters since that near-miss was 12th in 2018. He finished just outside of the top 10 that year, with three rounds of 71 and a final round of 69, in the tournament which was won by Patrick Reed.
An opening round of 76 left Oosthuizen with work to do in 2021. He recovered well across the next three days to get to +1 at the end of his 72 holes, but it was not enough to challenge at the top end of the leaderboard.
South African Now Over Back Problems
The world number 12 missed some events in November and December last year with a back problem. He had to withdraw from the RSM Classic after suffering lower back pain following his first round in the tournament at Sea Island.
Prior to the RSM Classic, Oosthuizen had finished in a tie for 14th and a tie for 38th in his two previous PGA Tour tournaments. The highlight of 2021 for the eight-time European Tour winner was his runner-up finish in the Zurich Classic where he paired with fellow South African Charl Schwartzel. They lost in a play-off to Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.
Oosthuizen could return to action in the Phoenix Open. He is also likely to feature in the Players Championship and WGC Match Play as he looks to sharpen up his game before the opening major of the year.
The 2022 US Masters is scheduled to take place between 7-10 April and it will be the 86th edition of the tournament.
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