King Louis reigns once again in East London

FORMER Open champion Louis Oosthuizen delighted RPSPORT golf followers and East London locals alike on Sunday when defending his Africa Open title with a 27-under par total and two-shot success over fellow South African Tjaart van der Walt.

Another home ace Retief Goosen was a further stroke back in third.

Oosthuizen, who claimed the Claret Jugat St Andrews two years ago, was Racing Post golf guru Steve Palmer's confident headline selection at 5-1 and a group of spectators were  captured wearing t-shirts saying All Hail King Louis as he stayed strong down the final stretch.

And it was the par 3 17th that proved the decisive hole in a ding-dong duel between the overnight joint-leaders. Oosthuizen birdied but 70-1 shot van der Walt bogied.

Goosen was 12-1 second-favourite and the other minor placings were filled by 18-1 Jaco van Zyl, 150-1 Alistair Forsyth and 66-1 Richard Sterne.

In Hawaii, Steve Stricker is 2-5 to win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions after surging into a five-shot lead at the halfway stage.

Stricker carded a sublime Saturday ten-under par 63 on the Plantation Course at Kapalua to move to a 15 under total.

Webb Simpson is Stricker's nearest pursuer in the Maui event for last season's winners on the PGA Tour.

Simpson is followed by Kevin Na on nine under and Martin Laird and Jonathan Byrd on eight under.

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