Monday Backspin: Oosthuizen calm, cool, collected in finale

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First the World Cup, now this. It's been quite a month for South Africa, which can now boast the Champion Golfer of the Year in Louis Oosthuizen.

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A lot of folks might have found the finish boring -- and to some extent it was, at least in terms of drama -- but that shouldn't in any way diminish the accomplishment. If it were Tiger Woods' name atop the leaderboard instead of Oosthuizen's, the reaction would be far different.

Paul Casey perhaps summed it up best, saying, "Even if you take away the mistakes I made, I don't think it was good enough to get near Louis. That was an unbelievable performance. He was very calm, played wonderful golf, and all credit to him. I'm disappointed, but the emphasis has to be on that performance, because that was fantastic."

Yes, Oosthuizen got a break from the weather on Friday because of an early tee time. But he was one of the few to take full advantage of it. And by Saturday you got the feeling that if Oosthuizen could shoot anything around 1- or 2-under par, it was going to be almost impossible to beat him on Sunday. That's exactly what happened with a third-round 69.

Sunday, it was all about staying in the moment and staying confident, something Oosthuizen did extremely well, much like Graeme McDowell did at Pebble Beach last month.

Champion's Replay

Want to hear what Louis Oosthuizen had to say about winning the British Open? Click here British Open: Final Leaderboard More coverage: • Highlights • Oosthuizen interviews • Complete tourney coverage

"It's easy probably to say now, but yeah, you know what, everyone around me has told me that [I had it in me], and it was a matter of me believing it," Oosthuizen said. "My win at Malaga just got my mind around things.

"I made good putts. I made putts when I had to. I rarely missed a putt under 6 feet. Everything comes together."

The same could be said about Oosthuizen's career, which was for all intents and purposes launched by another major champion from South Africa, Ernie Els. That Oosthuizen fully acknowledges that and was aware that Sunday was Nelson Mandela's 92nd birthday also speaks volumes about his own perspective.

There was also a time, though, when Oosthuizen had a bit of a temper. But you live, you learn.

"It was just a matter of growing up, really," Oosthuizen said. "I think any youngster that's playing that makes stupid mistakes on the golf course, it frustrates you. If you look at the older guys on TOUR who have all that experience, when they make bogey or double bogey, they just go on to the next hole. I thought to myself, the quicker I can get around that, the quicker I'm going to win tournaments here."

That patience and resolve obviously paid off in a very big way on Sunday.

Stock up

Matt Bettencourt: A win takes care of a lot of things for Bettencourt, who got his first career victory at the Reno-Tahoe Open on Sunday. Even though it was only worth 250 FedExCup points, it was enough to get Bettencourt, who never even played college golf, into the top 125 with five weeks left until the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. FedExCup rank: 114 (185 last week) Henrik Stenson: If not for Louis Oosthuizen, Stenson might have added to an increasingly impressive resume that already includes wins at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship. Still, his tie for third at St. Andrews moved him way up the FedExCup points list. FedExCup rank: 120 (165 last week) Sergio Garcia: There were signs of life from Garcia at St. Andrews, where he tied for 14th after three sub-par rounds and one of even par. As a result, he's safely in the top 100. Garcia did some damage in the Playoffs two years ago with three top-5s, including runner-up finishes at The Barclays and the TOUR Championship. FedExCup rank: 94 (107 last week)

Stock down

Mike Weir: A year ago, Weir made it all the way to Atlanta. Coming off a missed cut at the British Open and with just one top-10 this season, however, Weir might not even make it into the Playoffs. FedExCup rank: 115 (112 last week) Robert Garrigus: On the upside, Garrigus tied for 10th in Reno. On the downside, had he not gone Jean Van de Velde on the final hole at the St. Jude Classic a few weeks ago, he'd be a lock for the postseason. FedExCup rank: 110 (115 last week) Justin Leonard: A missed cut at the British Open was the third in the last five starts and seventh of the season for Leonard. Last year, Leonard qualified for three Playoffs events. Now he's in danger of not getting in at all. FedExCup rank: 122 (120 last week)

THE BACK NINE: 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. There are two ways to look at Tiger Woods' putter switch at the British Open: Tiger the tinkerer, or a complete lack of trust in his putting. Maybe it's the former because Woods has always been one of the game's smarter players in terms of equipment and golf, but his switch back to the trusty Scotty Cameron for Sunday's final round doesn't exactly lend itself to the first theory.

2. There was a lot made of Tiger's caddie, Steve Williams' comments in a recent Q&A. Here's the problem: Williams, in so many words, didn't say anything that Woods hasn't himself said at times. Now, is there a rift in their relationship? I don't think so, not after talking to Williams at least.

3. In four of the last five major championships, Lee Westwood has finished in the top 5. Sunday's runner-up at St. Andrews was different than most of the others because Oosthuizen ran away from the field and Westwood never really threatened the lead. But Westwood is too good not win one of these at some point. He can't keep finishing in the top 5 without winning, can he?

4. Three major championships, three different winners. Usually, success in majors goes a long way toward deciding Player of the Year. Louis Oosthuizen's victory at St. Andrews did nothing to clear up what is a very muddled picture. Right now, you have to think it's between maybe Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Justin Rose. None of them jumps out and screams Player of the Year to me, though.

5. All you need to know about Mickelson and the British Open is there's a reason he got completely passed up in our "expert" picks for St. Andrews. Watching him play the British Open reminds me of watching Pete Sampras play the French Open. You never say never in this business, but it sure seems like Mickelson is never going to win the British Open because his game just doesn't look suited for the tournament, much the way Sampras' serve-and-volley style wasn't for the red clay of Roland Garros.

6. Did anyone think two years ago that when Padraig Harrington won the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills a month after winning the British Open at Royal Birkdale for a second straight year that he would go without a victory for the next 23 months? At this point, it's looking like Harrington might be taking two steps back to take one forward, instead of the other way around. Or was that the best we're ever going to see from Harrington?

7. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. A chip-in for eagle and a missed 3-footer on the final hole added up to Matt Bettencourt's first career victory on TOUR. The win also gets him into the field for next month's PGA Championship.

8. There was no chance Anthony Kim was going to be recovered from wrist surgery in time for the British Open. He had hoped to play in Canada this week, however. But as of last week, he couldn't even hit full shots, according to a friend of Kim's.

9. There are so many great British Open venues, but St. Andrews seems like such a natural fit, like the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach or Pinehurst, that you wish it were held there more often.

This week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-4, 446-yard 14th at St. George's Golf and Country Club THIS WEEK: As host club for the Canadian Open on four occasions, and for the LPGA Classic on five occasions, and most recently the du Maurier Champions, Canadian Senior Open. St. George's Golf and Country Club has won much praise from noted TOUR players for its persistent demand for accuracy and four finishing holes. Click here to tour the Kodak Challenge holes | Current Kodak Challenge standings

The Forward Spin

The RBC Canadian Open gets its fifth venue in six years with St. Georges Golf & Country Club in Ontario playing host this season after a two-year run at Glen Abbey. The last time this tournament was held there was in 1968 when Bob Charles won. More recently, Jim Furyk has played well in the event with back-to-back wins, but like a lot of guys who played in the British Open, hes not in the field. Scott Verplank is, though, and he has three top-10s this year and tied for eighth there a year ago.

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