Five years ago, it seemed South African golf was on the cusp of a golden age and that Major titles would be a regular occurrence for the foreseeable future. Ernie Els had just won the 2012 Open at Royal Lytham to claim the country’s fourth Major in five years and 22nd overall. Prior to Els winning his fourth Major with that Open triumph, Trevor Immelman (2008 Masters), Louis Oosthuizen (2010 Open) and Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters) had all made their Major breakthroughs. Oosthuizen and Schwartzel, in particular, were not even in their prime yet and much was expected from them. But here we are, five years on, on the eve of the 146th Open at Royal Birkdale, and SA’s Major tally has stalled with no further successes since 2012. Oosthuizen has lost two Major playoffs in that time, to Bubba Watson at the 2012 Masters and Zach Johnson at the 2015 Open, but that is as close as anyone has come. The 34-year-old Oosthuizen continues to be SA’s brightest hope with the game that can blow the f...
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