Staff WriterThe Dunhill Links has always been a tricky beast for South Africans—just one winner in the tournament’s history, Branden Grace back in 2012. But if Thursday’s opening round is anything to go by, Louis Oosthuizen and company are plotting a full-scale Scottish invasion.
Oosthuizen, Herman Loubser, Michael Hollick, and Richard Sterne all muscled their way into contention on day one of this DP World Tour classic, staged across the Old Course, Kingsbarns, and Carnoustie.
Each of them fired a tidy 65, leaving them just two shots shy of the leaders: England’s Matthew Jordan, American Ryan Brehm, and Dutchman Darius van Driel, who sit on nine-under.
For Sterne, this is familiar territory. The veteran was a whisker away in 2016, finishing tied second. His 65 at Kingsbarns reminded everyone that he still has the guile to hang around when the putts start dropping.
Oosthuizen, meanwhile, turned Carnoustie—normally as welcoming as a tax inspector—into his personal playground. Six birdies in his opening nine holes saw him strolling off with the kind of grin that suggested he knew he’d just outsmarted one of golf’s toughest venues.
Then there’s Hollick and Loubser, both carrying Sunshine Tour trophies in their luggage from wins just weeks ago. Hollick tamed the Old Course with a 65, while Loubser matched Sterne’s score over at Kingsbarns. Confidence, it seems, is not in short supply.
That makes five South Africans inside the top mix if you count Dylan Naidoo, who carded a respectable five-under 67 on the Old Course. He sounded relieved more than anything: “The conditions were surprisingly good. I thought we’d get a bit more rain but it passed us. There wasn’t a lot of wind, the pins were in accessible spots so, yes, the scoring was low on the Old Course in particular,” said Naidoo.
“I played well on the front nine but the putts just didn’t fall, and then I played well on the back nine. I think five under is a good score. It’s not an unbelievable score, but I’m happy with it, especially in light of the fact that you never know what’s going to happen the rest of the week with the weather. You need to take advantage.”
And he’s right—this is the Dunhill Links, where one moment you’re striding down the fairway in sunshine and the next you’re clinging to your umbrella for dear life.
The trick is capitalising while the weather behaves, because Scotland has a sense of humour and it isn’t always friendly.
The quartet chasing history now have Grace’s lone South African victory in their sights. Whether Oosthuizen’s silky swing, Sterne’s experience, or the youthful fire of Hollick and Loubser will carry the day remains to be seen.
But one thing’s certain: the Dunhill Links hasn’t looked this South African since, well, 2012.
