By PAUL NEWBERRY
(AP)
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49 mins ago

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Put divided the bagpipes as well as mangle out those vuvuzelas. Louis Oosthuizen was shutting in upon his initial vital championship.

The 27-year-old South African kept up his solid fool around during the British Open for the fourth true round, rolling in the 50-foot eagle putt during the spin Sunday as well as fluctuating his lead to the record-threatening 8 strokes when closest challenger Paul Casey mislaid his turn in the gorse.

Casey’s triple-bogey 7 during the 12th effectively finished his chances, withdrawal him the tie for second with associate Englishman Lee Westwood during 9 under.

Oosthuizen (WUHST-hy-zen) rolled in the birdie during the same hole to take his measure to seventeen underneath — four-shot pitch which doubled his lead as well as meant usually the fall of Van de Velde proportions could stop him for winning the claret jug. The categorical play entrance down the widen was either Oosthuizen could mangle the complicated jot down for many unilateral win.

The jot down was 8 strokes. Tiger Woods was the final to win in such the subjection during St. Andrews the decade ago.

Oosthuizen wobbled the bit during the par-3 eighth, creation usually his fifth spook of the tournament. His tee shot was the small prolonged as well as left of the green. He chipped up to 6 feet though longed for the putt, permitting Casey to get inside of 3 shots.

That was as tighten as he got upon the warm, partly pale day along St. Andrews Bay.

Oosthuizen rebounded during the 352-yard ninth by pushing the green, afterwards rolling in the prolonged putt which took his measure to sixteen under. Casey’s chances finished when he gathering in to the gorse during the 12th. He had to take the chastisement dump during the behind of the bushes, came up reduced of the immature with his approach, afterwards knocked it by the immature with his subsequent shot prior to two-putting.

“Go get ‘em, Louie!” the South African air blower announced in an Afrikaans accent.

Oosthuizen’s republic is upon utterly the roll, entrance off the successful hosting of soccer’s World Cup. Vuvuzelas were the soundtrack of which event, horns which done an ear-splitting sound identical to the overflow of aggressive bees.

They aren’t authorised in golf, though they competence be buzzing if Oosthuizen binds onto his lead. One air blower trailed the personality carrying the South African soccer headband as well as wearing the “Bafana Bafana” jacket, the nickname of the South African soccer team.

Tiger Woods, who had won the final dual Opens during St. Andrews, went behind to his aged dabble though still managed usually an even-par 72 as well as the 3-under 285 total.

Phil Mickelson was never the factor. He sealed with the 75 for 289.

Oosthuizen had done the cut usually once in his initial 8 vital championships prior to he posted 3 true rounds in the 60s, together with the 3-under 69 Saturday which gave the rest of the margin copiousness of work to do perplexing to follow down his 15-under 201.

Casey went in to Sunday as Britain’s most appropriate goal to finish an 11-year winless strain in the home championship, though he wasn’t up to the task. Neither was any one else.

While an Oosthuizen feat would be the large surprise, it wouldn’t be rare for someone to arise from shade during golf’s oldest major. Ben Curtis was ranked 396th in the universe when he won during Royal St. George in 2003. Todd Hamilton dumbfounded Ernie Els in the playoff during Troon the following year.

If zero else, someone was firm to win his initial vital championship during St. Andrews. The usually man upon the leaderboard with the vital pretension upon his resume was two-time U.S. Open hold up Retief Goosen, as well as he was 10 strokes back.

The final spin proposed in sincerely ease conditions, giving the early starters the possibility to put up the little low numbers. Wearing the gaudy, pumpkin-colored outfit, Rickie Fowler of the U.S. birdied the final dual holes for the 67. Alvaro Quiros additionally had the 67, whilst Trevor Immelman of South Africa as well as Edoardo Molinari of Italy shot the span of 68s.

But the breeze picked up in the afternoon, creation it tougher upon those with after tee times.

The greens were Woods’ categorical problem. He indispensable the towering 35 putts to get by the third round, so he switched behind to the Scotty Cameron indication done by Titleist which he has used given 1999. He played the initial 3 rounds with the Nike Method, desiring it would assistance him cope with the slower speed of St. Andrews’ large greens.

Woods’ putting softened — he took usually 27, his most appropriate opening of the week by distant — though his alternative swings let him down. He had the span of double-bogeys upon the front side, finale any goal of the comeback.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

By DOUG FERGUSON
(AP)
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39 mins ago

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — The name upon his pass — Lodewicus Theodorus — sounds similar to it belongs in the Wagner opera.

His nickname between friends — Shrek — is not many better.

Louis Oosthuizen found the improved approach to have the name for himself Friday during St. Andrews, where he delicately navigated the Old Course by light zephyr as great as reduced spells of sleet for the 5-under 67 to take the early lead in the British Open.

A prolonged putt by the Valley of Sin upon the 18th hole, as great as the birdie putt from usually inside fifteen feet which followed, put the 27-year-old South African during 12-under 132. He was 3 shots transparent of Rory McIlroy, who had to face augmenting zephyr in the afternoon.

“It’s substantially the upon all sides any the single wants to be in personification the vital upon the weekend,” Oosthuizen said.

It’s the upon all sides he doesn’t know really well.

Oosthuizen (WUHST’-hy-zen) had played 8 majors when he arrived during St. Andrews. He longed for the cut in 7 of them, the difference entrance in the 2008 PGA Championship during Oakland Hills, where he accomplished last.

“It wasn’t really great, was it?” pronounced Oosthuizen, flashing the gap-tooth laugh which warranted him the Shrek moniker. “It was the make the difference of not desiring in myself, we think. Everyone around here is revelation me, ‘You’ve got the shots, you’re personification well.’ And again, which win progressing this deteriorate usually got my thoughts set in the opposite way.”

He won his initial European Tour eventuality in Spain this spring, his fourth feat worldwide.

The South African many would have approaching atop the leaderboard was Ernie Els, as great as in the way, Els was the partial of this. If not for the Ernie Els Foundation in South Africa, Oosthuizen competence not be during St. Andrews, or anywhere in golf.

Oosthuizen comes from the tennis-mad family, nonetheless fast switched to golf when he put the bar in his hand. The difficulty came with finances, for the transport compulsory to rise his diversion valid to be as well many for the son of the farmer. That was about the time the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation began to brand immature South Africans from family groups of singular resources.

He was seventeen when he began with the foundation, withdrawal when he incited pro.

“It was unimaginable what he did for me, roving around the country, assisting with expenses, things similar to that,” Oosthuizen said. “He’s such the great mentor. And substantially but him, those 3 years I’ve been in his foundation, we wouldn’t have been here.”

Els identified talent, all right.

Oosthuizen teamed with Charl Schwartzel to win the 2000 World Junior Team Championship. Two years after upon his home march during Mossel Bay Club along the famous Garden Route, he shot the 57.

That was great vigour meaningful what was during stake, even nonetheless he was personification with friends. Oosthuizen indispensable to birdie the single of the final 3 holes for the 59, as great as instead he chipped in for eagle upon the 17th as great as birdied the last.

Now comes some-more pressure, as great as he appears up for it.

“I similar to the approach he’s personification right now,” pronounced his longtime caddie, Zach Rasego, who talks devise upon each tee in Afrikaans with Oosthuizen. “He doesn’t get undone by anything.”

The begin of his behind 9 could have left opposite directions.

Oosthuizen gathering the par-4 10th immature for the two-putt birdie, usually to three-putt the subsequent immature for the bogey. After the chip-and-putt birdie upon the 12th, he came up woefully reduced upon the 13th as great as couldn’t get up-and-down for par.

He never looked flustered. And he never gave up upon his plan.

Oosthuizen can whack it out there with the most appropriate of them, nonetheless even with the zephyr during his back, he laid behind in the fairway upon the 15th as great as 16th holes, personification longer manacles in to the green.

“I’m perplexing to take the bunkers utterly out of play,” he said. “Seeing Tiger … we do not consider he went in the single bunker. To me, if we go in the bunker, that’s the spook or it’s starting to be the really great par. So I’ve got which strategy.”

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.