GOLF’S bold punt in Perth on a fast-format shootout like Twenty20 cricket has stirred applause and a warning from former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.
The stylish South African shot-maker is all for the change-up which guarantees the curious eyes of the golfing world will be on Lake Karrinyup Country Club from Thursday.
The innovative World Super 6 is 54-holes of traditional strokeplay to seed a top 24 into a manic Sunday at the $ 1.75 million tournament.
It’s there that it gets exciting with a series of sharp, six-hole match-play shootouts and a sudden-death par three which will leave just one gunfighter standing.
Louis Oosthuizen is looking forward to playing in the new format.Source:News Corp Australia
“Golf needs change and it’s great to see people coming up with ideas,” said Oosthuizen, who won on this layout a year ago when it was a regular event.
“It’s wide open for anyone because you can lead by five strokes after the strokeplay, lose the first matchplay and off home you go.
“You’ve got to have the mindset for those six holes like it is the last few holes of a tournament, the adrenaline is up and I’ve got to do something to win. That’s great.
“I’m very curious to see how it works but how it went down is probably a better question for Sunday afternoon.”
Oosthuizen is the class act in the field, a seven-shot winner of the Open at St Andrews in 2010 and second in three majors since.
His warning is simple … avoid boom Western Australian amateur Curtis Luck in the match-play.
“Hopefully, I don’t pull him out (as an opponent) in the matchplay,” Oosthuizen said.
You’ll rarely find a bigger local favourite as an amateur than Luck, heading to the Masters at Augusta in April but already with the sparkle to match it with the pros.
Curtis Luck will be hard to beat on home turf.Source:Getty Images
Luck, just 20, shot 68-68 in the middle rounds at the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this month when he shared 23rd spot with two-time major winner Martin Kaymer.
The ponytailed Luck is at home at Lake Karrinyup where he was once a junior member.
“I know the course like the back of my hand. It’s definitely the best chance I’ll get to make a run I think,” Luck said.
He is also the most attuned to recent matchplay because of his stellar run to become US Amateur champion last year.
Sweden’s world’s No.11 Alex Noren, Kiwi Olympian Ryan Fox, Dane Thorbjorn Olesen and Australia’s Marcus Fraser also spice up the field.
Noren put the best twist on capturing new young eyes for golf with the format change.
“I think anything where the crowd experiences new ways for us pros to play the game is good. I love watching X Games on TV,” Noren said.
Originally published as Golf enters wacky T20 world in Perth
