Louis Overcomes Masters' Disappointment with Win in Malaysia


Even though he suffered a tough loss to Bubba Watson on the second playoff hole in the 76th Masters last week, Louis Oosthuizen wasn't down for long.

The diminutive South African with the near-perfect golf swing forged a final-round 4-under 68 to win the Malaysian Open by three shots. Completed on Sunday, the European Tour event was held at Kuala Lampur Golf & Country Club.

Oosthuizen finished at 17-under 271, three strokes clear of Scotland's Stephen Gallacher and four in front of Spain's Rafael Cabrero-Bellow, American David Lipsky and England's Danny Willett.

Fellow South African and 2011 Masters' winner Charl Schwartzel closed with a 68 to end up in solo sixth at 11-under 277.

The trip from Augusta, Ga., to Malaysia took Oosthuizen 30 hours. Then he and the rest of the field had to patiently wait out delays due to storms that swept across the course Friday and Saturday and forced cancellation of the third round to Sunday morning.

"Coming here and winning after what happened last week showed me that I can pull it off, so it's very important," Oosthuizen said. "I'm a little surprised because I thought I would be a lot more tired. I played well and the game was there so it made it a lot easier.

"My game was a bit up and down this morning," he noted Sunday evening, "but I kind of settled down for the final 18 holes. I think my win at the 2010 British Open helped me get my game to where it is at the moment.

"It would have been better if I had the green jacket. But I've had a good week and am looking forward to the U.S. Open now," added Oosthuizen, who moved up to No. 12 in the World Golf Ranking with the victory.