South African surges into Open lead
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — South Africa's on quite a roll.
Coming off the rousing success of being the first African nation to host soccer's World Cup, the country made another splash in the British Open when Louis Oosthuizen surged to a three-stroke lead in the second round today.
The 27-year-old from Mossel Bay — whose given name is Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen — shot a 5-under 67 for a 12-under 132 at the midway point of the tournament. He pulled ahead of Rory McIlroy, the 21-year-old Northern Irishman who tied the major-championship record with a 63 Thursday.
McIlroy had an afternoon tee time on a day that epitomized the wacky weather of St. Andrews. The early starters found blue skies when they arrived at the Old Course, but heavy rains rolled in shortly after the start of the round. The sun peeked through the clouds again, then more showers struck just before noon.
The players, it seemed, spent as much time reaching for their umbrellas as they did for their clubs.
"I got up this morning and it wasn't looking real pretty at 4:30," said 50-year-old Mark Calcavecchia, who played in the first group and became the latest old-timer to contend at the Open. "It was actually beautiful when we teed off. Then we saw a little bit of everything."
More ominous for those with the later tee times: The wind, always the best defense at a links course, was starting to whip the flags above the grandstands.
Oosthuizen didn't have to worry about that. He was finished by lunchtime.
"I'm very confident with the way I'm playing," Oosthuizen said. "It's probably the position anyone wants to be in playing a major on the weekend, and I think it's what we work to achieve, and I'm just very happy with the two rounds I put together."
There was nothing to indicate he might contend at golf's oldest major championship. He missed the cut this year at both the Masters and the U.S. Open, and did the same at last week's Scottish Open.
In fact, this is only the second time he'll make the cut in nine major appearances.
With the wind at his back, Oosthuizen went with shorter clubs off the tee to keep the dreaded pot bunkers out of play. He got a bit wild on the back nine, starting out birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie before he settled down with a couple of pars and a 15-foot birdie at the final hole to leave him with a good feeling going to a weekend that will be like none he's ever experienced before.
"I'm just having a lot of fun," said Oosthuizen, who strung together three birdies in a row beginning at the par-5 fifth, where a driver and a 4-iron left him with a chip that he left 5 feet from the flag.
Also making a move: England's Paul Casey, who posted a 5-under 31 on the outward holes and was at 8 under, and Calcavecchia, whose 67 left the 1989 Open champion at 137.
The group at 6 under included 1995 Open winner John Daly, who pulled off a stunning 66.
Tiger Woods, trying to win his third straight Open at St. Andrews, opened with a 67 and was set to play in the afternoon.
Phil Mickelson, who made only one birdie in his opening round of 73, went out in the morning with hopes of getting back into the mix — or at least to avoid going home. He looked better in the second round, playing the first 12 holes at 2 under to get his score into the red.
