I would imagine that nailing an ace during the final round of your country’s premier golf tournament, while you’re in the hunt for the title, is a pretty good feeling.

Then again, Louis Oosthuizen is no stranger to aces, having nailed one at the 2016 Masters at Augusta, and then the British Open a few months later.

He also scored an ace at the 2019 WGC-HSBC Championships.

Sadly for Oosthuizen, his hole-in-one wasn’t enough to secure him the title, although it does give him some bragging rights:

That’s an ACE 🗣

He didn’t get the win, but Louis Oosthuizen provided plenty of entertainment at the South African Open with shots like this 🙌 pic.twitter.com/LNBYzYoDA9

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) January 12, 2020

On the PGA Tour alone, Oosthuizen has won more than $20 million in prize money, so I reckon he can afford a round of drinks for everyone in the clubhouse.

South Africa’s top-ranked golfer was ultimately beaten by countryman Branden Grace, who played out of his socks yesterday.

Sport24 reports:

Grace produced one of the finest putting displays of his career to close with a 62 and win his national Open by three shots on 21 under par, and following a stunning duel with defending champion Louis Oosthuizen on Randpark’s Firethorn course.

“I’ve now won everything I want to win in South African golf, and it feels so good,” said a delighted Grace.

“This was the one that was missing – the second oldest tournament in the world and with so much history.”

Here are the highlights from Grace’s final round, showcasing his red-hot putter:

Grace has long been spoken about as a potential golfing great, although he’s been blown hot and cold over the past few years.

Thankfully, the 31-year-old believes the best is still to come:

…after a period of changes on so many fronts, Grace feels he’s back on track.

“You know, my dad had a heart-attack a year back, then we were building a house, I became a father, so there was a lot going on. But I’ve made some changes in management, I’ve got a new caddie and I feel in a really good place at the moment, and this was the place to kick it off.”

South African golf fans will love to hear that, so here’s hoping that Grace, Oosthuizen, and our other big names can step up at this year’s majors.

[source:sport24]