Media Release. 19 July 2010. Mossel Bay Tourism

Mossel Bay Mayor Salutes new British Open Champion

AFRIKAANSE WEERGAWE: Mosselbaai Burgemeester prys nuwe Britse Ope Kampioen

Mossel Bay is celebrating the achievements of one of its best-known residents after local golfer Louis Oosthuizen this weekend claimed his first major golf championship: the British Open.

The 27-year-old took the title with a score of 272 – a dominating, 16-under par, seven-stroke victory over England’s Lee Westwood (9-under, 279), and third-place-holders Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and Henrik Stenson (Sweden), who both shot 8-under totals of 280.

The 2010 Open – which began on Thursday, and finished at about 7:30 South African time last night (Sunday, 18 July) – marked the 150th running of the event. It was also the 28th time that the par 72, 7,305-yard Old Course at St Andrews has hosted the championship.

Mr. Oosthuizen’s result puts him just one stroke off the record for the biggest win in the British Open’s modern era: Tiger Woods’ eight-stroke masterpiece at St. Andrews ten years ago.

Mr. Oosthuizen, who won the World Junior Championship in 2002, and was a member of the South African team which won the World Amateur Team Championship in that same year, turned pro at the age of nineteen in 2002. He has since won the South African PGA Championship on two occasions, and now plays the European Tour – on which he took his first victory at the Open de Andalucia, in Spain, earlier this year

“Louis’ win has given everyone in Mossel Bay a shot of good cheer this morning, said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm.

“It puts him in the same class as Tiger Woods, James Braid, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Bobby Locke, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, and Nick Faldo, who’ve all won at the Old Course – but we believe he’s got a huge advantage because he comes from Mossel Bay.

“His home course is Mossel Bay Golf Club where, as they say, ‘You can see the sea from every tee.”

Ms. Holm said that Mr. Oosthuizen’s performance was “invaluable for Mossel Bay, because the commentators who were covering the Open were talking about Mossel Bay Golf Club – for three days, over and over again – and now the whole of the golfing world knows about the town.

“For this, we owe Louis a huge debt of gratitude,” she said.

Bertu Nel, CEO of the Mossel Bay Golf Club, said the atmosphere at the Club was electric. “We had our big screen set up, everyone was there, and it was cheers and high-fives over and over again.

“We can’t tell you how proud we are of Louis and what he’s achieved – and our phones haven’t stopped ringing this morning.

“Everyone’s incredibly excited and happy.”

Mossel Bay’s Executive Mayor, Alderlady Marie Ferreira was just as ecstatic as everyone else in the popular holiday town.

“Congratulations, Louis – your win puts you in a class with the greatest golfers in the world today,” she said.

“We’re very proud of you.”

NOTE: Vote for Mossel Bay as South Africa’s Town of the Year for 2010. SMS Mosselbaai to 33157 before 12h00 on 30 July 2010.

ENDS 506 WORDS

Tags: british open, Golf, louis oosthuizen, mossel bay