Sandwich: It was a case of deja vu when Louis Oosthuizen, just like Graeme McDowell at the U.S. Open, said on Monday he was feeling a sense of relief that he was about to hand back his British Open trophy.
Briton McDowell explained that he felt like a weight was about to be lifted from his shoulders ahead of his title defence at Congressional last month and Oosthuizen was of a similar mind.
"It's sad and it's a relief in the same sentence," the South African told reporters at the Royal St George's course on the south-east corner of England. "It's a great honour but from here on you are not the Open champion any more.
"It's a bit of a relief just getting to the tournament and defending it. With it being my first major win, that year afterwards was always going to be tough."
Oosthuizen went into last year's British Open as a rank outsider and shocked the golfing world by storming to a seven-shot win.
"It's been an unreal experience as the Open champion," said the 28-year-old. "It's something I will work to achieve again.
"It's been a great experience -- having the Claret Jug with you for a year."
The world number 32 described the special moment when he showed off the trophy at the golfing venue where it all began for him.
"I took it to the club where I grew up, the nine-hole, sand-and-oil greens of the Albertinia Golf Club (on the Western Cape), and showed it to the members and to my family and friends," said Oosthuizen.
"Having the Claret Jug there at a golf club that's probably got 42, 43 members who are basically field farmers -- that was quite a special moment."
MIXED RESULTS
Oosthuizen has divided his time this season between the European and U.S. tours and has had mixed results.
He won the Africa Open in January but since then his best result was a tie for ninth at last month's U.S. Open.
Oosthuizen sported a red dot on his glove in the British Open at St Andrews last year in order to maintain his concentration on the course but was not sure if he would do the same in Thursday's opening round.
"I trigger my mind a lot quicker than I used to," he said. "I don't use it all the time now but some weeks I feel like my mind is wandering out there and I do use it.
"I haven't been using it lately but you get days when you're struggling a bit ... so you might see it back on the glove."
Oosthuizen evoked memories of his farming background when he took part in an unusual pre-tournament activity ahead of last week's John Deere Classic in Illinois.
"It was a big dream of mine to go to the harvest work factory in Moline," he said. "I was there on Tuesday morning and it was amazing.
"I went on the big excavators and it was like a big play area for men. I had a lot of fun -- it was like a creche for us."
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