NORTON (USA): Louis Oosthuizen had never been to the TPC Boston until his week, although he knew what to expect in the Deutsche Bank Championship.
This is a course that tends to favour power, and the South African has plenty of that. It’s also a course where players make a lot of birdies, and no one has made more than his 19 over the opening three rounds.
”If you’re playing well, you can shoot really low numbers,” Oosthuizen said.
Oosthuizen carried out the scouting report to near perfection on Sunday in the third round, at least for a two-hour stretch that was close to flawless. He made eight birdies in a nine-hole stretch – the exception was No. 3, where he missed a 5-foot birdie putt – before he cooled down on the back nine and had to settle for an 8-under 63.
It was enough to build a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy, who was exceptional on the back nine to post a 67 that kept the tournament from getting away from him.
Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson were still in the mix, just barely. Woods made back-to-back birdies late in his round for a 68, while Johnson’s Ryder Cup hopes took a strong turn in the right direction with a 65.
Oosthuizen set a trio of tournament records until some dark clouds and a light rain showed up in the final hour. He made seven straight birdies. He shot a 29 on the front nine. And he completed 54 holes in 19-under 194.
”With the conditions like this, we’re going to have to shoot some good numbers,” Woods said. ”It’s definitely gettable.” (AP)