Kuala Lumpur - April 15 2012
Kuala Lumpur, 15 April 2012: Louis Oosthuizen, five times European Tour winner, rose above the pack through rough weather conditions and fatigue to claim the victory at the Maybank Malaysian Open today.
The 29-year-old South African carded his second round of four-under 68 this week to ease a three-stroke victory over Scotsman Stephen Gallacher at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club. This is his fifth European Tour Victory and his second European Tour victory of the season following the Africa Open.
Oosthuizen, who had travelled halfway across the world to participate at the tournament, defied fatigue after playing 26 holes on the final day of the championship, totaling 17-under-par 271 to top the leaderboard ahead of marquee players from both the European and Asian Tours.
"Probably a little bit surprised with the result because I thought I would be a little bit more tired. I played well and playing with my mates from South Africa all week made it easier," said Oosthuizen, who featured with fellow Major champion Charl Schwartzel earlier in the week before being paired with Hennie Otto and Jbe Kruger for the final two rounds.
"I had a good week despite having a up-and-down morning today, I just hung on for the second 18th today," added Oosthuizen, who returned in the morning to complete eight holes from his third round.
Advancing into the final round with a one-stroke lead over Gallacher, Oosthuizen found a breakthrough on the tough par four 13th, when he extended his advantage to two shots before a further birdie on the 16th.
"I had a seven-iron in my hand and then suddenly, the wind just picked up and I opted for a eight-iron, which I could commit myself to. I hit a beautiful approach and made a solid birdie. I knew that I had to just get two ahead to get some breathing space," shared the winner, who picked up US$416,660 share of the US2.5 million prize fund.
The victory, coming on the back of a runner-up finish at The Masters and a third placing at the Shell Houston Open has filled him confidence. "It would have been better if I had the Green Jacket," laughed Oosthuizen. "I had a good two weeks in America and I'm looking forward to heading back for the Players Championship and then, the US Open." he added.
Gallacher ran out of birdies at the end, closing with a round of two-under 70 but was pleased with his second runner-up finish of the European Tour this year after the Dubai Desert Classic. "It's good, that's what you want to be in the last round, last group, even if it was the second last group for myself today. The more you do it, the more chances you can knock a couple off," said the 38-year-old, who accidentally signed for third round 69 despite finishing with a four-under 68 this morning.
"I only had two bogeys the whole week, so fair play to him [Oosthuizen]. He played great and was on form," he explained.
David Lipsky once again underlined his massive potential, continuing his inspiring rise from Asian Tour graduate to winner was tied third place alongside Spaniard Rafael Cabrero-Bello and Danny Willett of England.
The 23-year-old closed with a round of six birdies against two bogeys for a solid 70 and a total of 12-under-par 271.
"I can't believe where I'm at right now. It's been great. I've been pretty consistent off the tee and my putter has been co-operating with me. Those two things combined really help. I'm proud with how I handled myself, especially with the crowds as I've never been in an event like this. It was real fun!" shared the Los Angeles-native.
The sole Malaysian to play all four rounds, Shaaban Hussin admitted that his poor driving accuracy and fatigue was the key reason for his low performance today. The 31-year-old who made the halfway cut on two-under-par 142, managed over-par rounds of 75 and 73 to close with a two-over 290 total.
"I felt I played well except for three silly mistakes which saw me drop shots. I made a good comeback on my second nine with two birdies but I'm not pleased with my finish. This was my best chance to get more money and improve my rankings on the Asian Tour," said Shaaban, who picked up US$7,250 for his efforts.
"Honestly, I felt tired and I learned a lot about my physical and mental conditioning this week. I feel that my game is on the right track. I've been on a bit of form, so I'll just need to keep pushing and hope to minimize errors out there, when it counts" added the Maybank ambassador.
|
