South Africans to the fore at Congressional
Source: Agencies |
June 16, 2011, Thursday
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LOUIS Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, boyhood friends from South Africa, have won two of the last three majors and were both inspired by the winner of the last US Open at Congressional - Ernie Els.
Oosthuizen, the winner of last year's British Open at St Andrews, and US Masters champion Schwartzel interrupted their preparation for today's start to the US Open to reminisce on Tuesday about starting out in golf together.
"We talked about it the other day. When you look back when we used to play together as juniors, the first time we played together was in 1993 or '94," said 28-year-old Oosthuizen.
"We played together in Randpark in Johannesburg, and I was a 12-year-old and Charl was a 10-year-old. Since then we played most of the same tournaments, won tournaments together as juniors for South Africa and then as amateurs, as well."
Schwartzel, 26, remembered being nervous at first about playing in the same group as Oosthuizen.
"It felt like yesterday," said Schwartzel. "I was 10 years old and playing my very first South African junior ... And Louis was an established junior golfer. He was quite a lot better than I was."
Both players remembered watching Els win his second US Open title at Congressional in 1997.
"At that stage Ernie was every young kid in South Africa's idol, and I think he still is," said Oosthuizen.
Said Schwartzel: "I watched it on TV, Ernie winning this tournament. Obviously he was my hero and we were all just very happy for him."
Els said South Africa's junior golf program deserved the lion's share of credit for his compatriots' recent surge of success that includes Trevor Immelman's 2008 Masters victory.
"We've got great junior programs, great amateur programs, and it's been in place even when I was a junior, even before I was born it was in place," said Els, who won the US Open in 1997 by one stroke over Briton Colin Montgomerie.
Oosthuizen, the winner of last year's British Open at St Andrews, and US Masters champion Schwartzel interrupted their preparation for today's start to the US Open to reminisce on Tuesday about starting out in golf together.
"We talked about it the other day. When you look back when we used to play together as juniors, the first time we played together was in 1993 or '94," said 28-year-old Oosthuizen.
"We played together in Randpark in Johannesburg, and I was a 12-year-old and Charl was a 10-year-old. Since then we played most of the same tournaments, won tournaments together as juniors for South Africa and then as amateurs, as well."
Schwartzel, 26, remembered being nervous at first about playing in the same group as Oosthuizen.
"It felt like yesterday," said Schwartzel. "I was 10 years old and playing my very first South African junior ... And Louis was an established junior golfer. He was quite a lot better than I was."
Both players remembered watching Els win his second US Open title at Congressional in 1997.
"At that stage Ernie was every young kid in South Africa's idol, and I think he still is," said Oosthuizen.
Said Schwartzel: "I watched it on TV, Ernie winning this tournament. Obviously he was my hero and we were all just very happy for him."
Els said South Africa's junior golf program deserved the lion's share of credit for his compatriots' recent surge of success that includes Trevor Immelman's 2008 Masters victory.
"We've got great junior programs, great amateur programs, and it's been in place even when I was a junior, even before I was born it was in place," said Els, who won the US Open in 1997 by one stroke over Briton Colin Montgomerie.
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