By Mark Lamport-Stokes
April 7 (Reuters) – Louis Oosthuizen is already a proven
major winner and he steadily moved into a good position to
clinch this week’s Masters title without getting the very best
out of his game in Saturday’s third round.
The gap-toothed South African, who romped to a seven-stroke
victory in the 2010 British Open, fired a three-under-par 69 at
Augusta National to end a gorgeous day of sunshine two shots
behind leader Peter Hanson of Sweden.
“I just played nicely today,” Oosthuizen told reporters
after mixing five birdies with two bogeys. “I made a good score,
swung the club really well. It was just nice having a good
round.
“I felt I probably left quite a few birdies out there the
way I was hitting it. I’m happy to be two behind going into
Sunday.”
Though Oosthuizen bogeyed the final hole after pushing his
approach to the right of the green and failing to get up and
down, he can take comfort in the way he has played the testing
back nine this week.
In each of the first two rounds, the 29-year-old covered the
last nine holes in three-under 33. On Saturday, he came home in
one under, having birdied the 12th and 17th.
“You have got to take it shot for shot,” Oosthuizen said of
his strategy for Sunday’s final round when the year’s first
major will be on the line.
“You know it’s going to take a few birdies (to win), so I’ll
probably do the same as today, just pick my holes where I feel
like I can take the pin on.
Continued…
