Agony for Oosthuizen after yet another near-miss

Louis Oosthuizen was left to rue yet another near-miss at a major championship after finishing tied third at the Open Championship on Sunday.

When he destroyed the field to win the 2010 Open at St Andrews by seven shots, Oosthuizen looked to have the golfing world at his feet, but a second major title has eluded him.

Oosthuizen, 38, has finished runner-up six times, including at this year's PGA Championship and US Open, and he endured another disappointing final round of 71 at Royal St George's to fall short once again.

Well I do know one thing, the fans at @TheOpen are second (or third) to none. Thank you for the incredible support this week, and congrats to @collin_morikawa who played with class and grit today. Well done mate ???? #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/BZdhY8xFG8

— Louis Oosthuizen (@Louis57TM) July 18, 2021

The South African had started his challenge at Royal St George's with sublime rounds of 64 and 65 and after a solid 69 he led the field by one shot.

Oosthuizen looked flat during the final round, however, visiting two different bunkers on the way to a bogey at the par-five seventh hole as his playing partner Collin Morikawa started a run of three successive birdies that set him up to win the title.

Oosthuizen dug deep to birdie the 11th hole, his tee shot hitting the flag before he sank a six foot putt.

Another birdie followed at the 14th but Oosthuizen could only match Morikawa's pars at the last four holes.

One of the best ball-strikers in the game, Oosthuizen exudes an air of quiet efficiency on course, calmly plotting his way round and rarely showing his emotions.

Although he never looked happy on Sunday, Morikawa enjoyed playing with him.

"Louis is an outright amazing player and person," Morikawa said. "He's just a great guy to play with. It's nice to see another guy just stripe it down the middle.

"Louis is consistent, he really is. He's going to keep knocking at these doors, and I'm sure he's going to knock a few more down. He's just too good."

Oosthuizen will get another chance when St Andrews is the venue for the 150th Open next year and he will hope to evoke memories of his 2010 triumph to end his long wait for another major victory.