Louis Oosthuizen
EAST LONDON, South Africa - Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, has his sights set on making an impact on the PGA Tour this season after a frustrating American experience last year.
The 29-year-old South African will begin his season by defending his Africa Open title this week and will also play in the European Tour's Volvo Golf Championships in George, South Africa from Jan. 19.
He is set to take a few weeks off after that as his wife is due to give birth to their second child at the end of January before he starts his campaign on the PGA Tour in earnest.
"This season I am definitely going to be more in America. I feel like I have to give myself a proper chance," Oosthuizen told reporters.
"I can't just go on last year, I know I didn't play well. I want to be there when I play well to see what I can achieve over there," he added.
Oosthuizen finished a disappointing 148th in the FedEx Rankings and he said that his decision to play more in America, as opposed to plying his trade in Europe, would also help him to prepare for the Masters in April after he missed the cut last year.
"It's about trying to get your game right for the majors and the world events. My first event in the States will be the WGC Match Play then the Honda and the Cadillac. It's a good build-up to the Masters," he said.
"I love Augusta but every time I have played there my mindset has been right but my game just wasn't there. Hopefully this time I will have a bit more firepower," he said.
Oosthuizen's main competition at the Africa Open will come from compatriot Retief Goosen.
Goosen, the winner of two US Open titles, and Oosthuizen both concur that if the wind does not blow, as predicted at the coastal course in East London then low scores will be the order of the day at the 1 million euro event.