5 things to watch for on Open Championship weekend: Will Louis Oosthuizen hold on?

Louis Oosthuizen’s historic start at The Open Championship has him in the lead but can he hold on and what else should golf fans watch for on the weekend?

After last year’s cancelation due to COVID-19, the anticipation for The Open Championship at Royal St. George’s was undoubtedly nearing a fever pitch heading into the week. And now that Louis Oosthuizen takes a historic 11-under lead into the weekend, the fireworks have not been hard to come by through 36 holes.

Having said that, it has not looked the part of a traditional Open Championship through two rounds. With soft fairways and greens, paltry winds in comparison to what we often see in this major, and despite the thick, knee-high rough, the scoring has been out of this world. Oosthuizen, who set the 36-hole scoring record for The Open with 129 strokes, is the poster-child for that.

As the adage goes, however, there’s a whole lot of ballgame left with the weekend still ahead at Royal St. George’s. Things can turn on a dime at The Open Championship, especially if the wind starts to bluster through. So what should we bet watching for the final 36 major championship holes of 2021? We have some ideas, starting with the leader.

5. Can Louis Oosthuizen hold on for the weekend at The Open Championship?

Louis Oosthuizen has been anything but a stranger to the top of the leaderboard at major championships. The South African was tied for the lead after the first and third rounds at the U.S. Open this year before Jon Rahm overtook him on Sunday. Moreover, he was in contention and finished tied for second at this year’s PGA Championship as well. Oh yeah, his lone PGA Tour win came at the 2010 Open Championship as well.

But the narrative around Oosthuizen has since become the always the bridesmaid, never the bride when it comes to majors in the past 11 years (and, to some degree, in regular events also). He has five runner-up finishes in major championships since his 2010 victory. And while some would label him a choker, that hasn’t always been the case. He hasn’t taken the tournament and run with it but he’s also been overtaken, a la Rahm at Torrey Pines.

So now the question becomes if that will happen again or if this is the week Oosthuizen can flip that narrative. There’s no question that he’s playing near-pristine golf, driving the ball, striking the ball and rolling it on the greens beautifully. His game says he can hold on.

However, per Justin Ray of the Twenty-First Group, Oosthuizen is the seventh player to hold the outright lead at The Open Championship after each of the first two rounds. Only two of the previous six have gone on to win. And with the guys chasing, it’s far from inconceivable that the South African could be the fifth to see his lead dissipate.