Louis Oosthuizen has collected trophies, memories for accomplishments at Masters

It’s funny how a golfer’s mind sometimes works.

A couple of bad swings, a few missed putts, and then a missed cut. The negatives can make a player forget about recent success.

Louis Oosthuizen was down in the dumps after missing the cut with rounds of 76-72 at Bay Hill.

“It’s a great question right now,” Oosthuizen said when asked about the state of his game. “Obviously it’s not great because of the last two days. Before that it felt pretty good.”

The South African is perhaps being a tad hard on himself.

He’s had a run of success that began in October and ended in January with top-five performances in each month. The highlight was a victory in the South African Open in December, when he opened with 62. It was his 14th win worldwide and his first since 2016.

The victory was a milestone for the former British Open champion as he became just the sixth man to hoist both the claret jug and the South African Open trophy.

It also marked his first victory in his native country’s oldest tournament.

“I wish the family was here,” an emotional Oosthuizen said. “The crowd was great this whole week, it was nice to do it for them.”

Even if he doesn’t sort out his problems, Oosthuizen can turn to a memory bank full of good thoughts at the Masters.

Last year he tied for 12th with four rounds under par. It was his best finish in Augusta since 2012, when he lost a playoff to Bubba Watson.

Oosthuizen made a double eagle on the second hole in the final round of 2012. It was just the fourth albatross in the Masters. He won the Par-3 Contest in 2010, and he aced the 16th hole in the final round in 2016.

So Oosthuizen’s got plenty of trophies from Augusta National, just not the main one.

He planned to stay busy in March, then skip the tournament the week before the Masters.

“I just need to work on what I’m working on and hopefully get it right,” Oosthuizen said at Bay Hill. “I’ve got a month left to sort of feel things out, so hopefully I can get that all right.”

The South African dealt with back issues throughout his career, and he said that he had inflammation during the British Open last year. A few weeks later, he withdrew from the PGA Championship with an undisclosed injury just before he was set to tee off.

But he’s not blaming any injuries for his recent performance.

“No, bits and pieces like everyone, needles here and there, but nothing to keep you away from the golf course,” Oosthuizen said.