Louis Oosthuizen knew winning the British Open was a big deal. The South African just didn?t realize quite how big.
"I think you?ve got this picture in your mind of what it?s going to be like after a major win, and it was 10 times what I expected," Oosthuizen said Tuesday ahead of the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational.
"I have never had so many phone calls, especially back in South Africa. I thought I was going to have a few days off (last week) and didn?t."
After playing in Sweden immediately following his surprise victory at St. Andrews, Oosthuizen returned home to his family farm in South Africa, although the visit was way too short for his liking.
"Unfortunately, we only had five days there," said the 27-year-old, who plans to return home again in September for a longer celebration.
"Mossel Bay Golf Club put on a great party for me one night and then Albertinia Golf Club, where I learned to play golf, also put on something special.
"They built a little bridge over the ninth hole and dedicated it to me. It?s got my name with 'Open Champion' on it."
Oosthuizen, unlike many previous Open champions, put nothing in the Claret Jug during his celebrations, because he considers it to be "very holy ground."
But he celebrated long and hard with, among others, compatriot Ernie Els, whose foundation helped finance Oosthuizen's early years in the sport.
"It was a blur for both of us," Els said. "They had free tickets for members to come into that evening?s celebration, and people were standing in that queue at 9 in the morning. I?m sure the whole town will be named for Louis one day."
Oosthhuizen and Els are part of an 82-strong field at Firestone Country Club.
It might be an insult to call an 8.5 million-dollar WGC event a warm-up for next week?s PGA Championship, the year?s final major, but there was no doubt many players will be trying to hone their games after a short post-British Open break.
American Anthony Kim has had a longer break than most - three months while recovering from surgery on his damaged left thumb.
Kim admits he had never even heard of Oosthuizen before the British Open, but he is the first to admit he hardly follows golf when he?s not playing.
Nobody will be more upbeat this week than Australian Stuart Appleby, who is coming off a rare 59 that carried him to victory at the Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia on Sunday.
This will be his 12th tournament in as many weeks but he wouldn?t dream of skipping an event at the site where he met wife Ashley 10 years ago.
"The 59 is behind me and I will just be getting back to shooting more normal scores. I?m not expecting rounds of 65 for the next two months," he said.
England's Lee Westwood is also delighted to be here.
"This is one of, if not my favorite week of the year," he said. "It's a great prep for next week, because it feels like a major championship course."
Westwood finished second at St. Andrews, his fourth top-three showing in the past five majors, despite being hobbled by an ankle injury that is still not full healed.
"It's unfortunate because it has not allowed me to practice as I would like at this time of the year, or get in the gym and train," Westwood said.
Even though Tiger Woods has struggled this year in the wake of revelations of his sex scandal, he remains the man to beat at a venue where he has completely dominated, with seven victories in 10 starts here since the tournament became a WGC event.
But Woods has never arrived here still seeking his first victory of the year as he does this year and he is not the huge favorite of years gone by.
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
