LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN Open Championship at Royal comes up in the afternoon and Coetzee and the Springboks I’m always excited to play at Birkdale. Having grown up at par becomes a real challenge. for beating France 3-0 in their the Nedbank Golf Challenge and the coast, I was looking forward You definitely need a bit of luck Test series in South Africa. I can’t wait to tee it up again this CO LUMN to the course in Southport. when it comes to the tee-off I’m a massive rugby fan – the year. Playing in front of a home It’s one of the best courses in times and what the weather Boks and the Stormers – so it crowd is always a lot of fun. England and although I wrote is doing. was good to cheer on the boys It all adds up to make this this before The Open was played Looking ahead, I’ll also be from afar. Let’s hope they can one of the special weeks on and you’ll be reading it after the at The PGA Championship. Last continue the revival! Tour. And, obviously, it’s always Compleat Golfer’s playing event, I was hopeful of a good year I had a solid tournament, At the beginning of July good being home, getting a bit editor is Louis Oosthuizen showing there. finishing in a tie for 22nd after I committed to coming back of sunshine and seeing the and this month he reflects Being a links course, exposed rounds of 68, 70, 70 and 68. to South Africa for the Nedbank bush at that time of year. to the elements, the tee-off Branden [Grace] did the best Golf Challenge at Gary Player Of course, it’s all still a bit on a few things and looks times one is allocated can make of our South Africans and it Country Club in early November. down the road, so I’m not at what lies ahead a big difference in the opening would be good if, along with This will be my seventh thinking about it too much Working Hard two rounds. You can get an Charl [Schwartzel], we can keep appearance and I’ll be hoping right now. There is still plenty early-morning tee-off and shoot our flag flying. I also want to to improve on my best finish of hard work ahead in the a red number, and then the wind say congratulations to Allister of fourth in 2012. coming weeks and months. The US Open at Erin Hills produced yet another first- CHIPPING time Major champion and congratulations must go to ON THE GREEN Brooks Koepka for winning This is something not to be tried unless you’ve it. My own game felt OK all developed a skill for it. Even then, things can go week, but I just couldn’t get it horribly wrong. You might have seen some pros going and build momentum. do it. There are times when your ball lands on the After a first round of 74 putting surface, but it’s impossible to get near the I shaved the beard I’d been hole if you’re using a putter, because the hole is growing for a month or two, tucked away on the other side of a bunker that because it was quite hot out encroaches on the green. An amateur would putt there on the course! I then around the bunker, but the slope would take it away and the chances of getting close to the pin had rounds of 70 and 68 and aren’t good. I would chip it to take the slope out felt that if I had a fast start of the picture. I open the face a little bit and let on the Sunday, anything the ‘bounce’ of the club do all the work. I’m going could happen. Unfortunately, at the grass, but not taking any grass off of the I wasn’t able to get on a roll. M IMAGES surface. The key is to use a lot of shoulders. H After the US Open I took I take a different grip, a split grip, so I don’t get a couple of days off and took ‘handsy’ with the shot. With the split grip, my VAN NELSON/ VAN the family on a short holiday, H hands are far apart, so it’s a shoulders-only shot. before getting focused on The GARET And I mustn’t be scared to take on the grass. compleatgolfer.com 19.