2021 3M Open: Top 10 power rankings at TPC Twin Cities

It’s been a prosperous, yet draining 2021 for Louis Oosthuizen. He’ll gladly take the cash, FedEx Cup points and Official World Golf Ranking points that come with high finishes in majors.

But to walk away empty handed after so many close calls has to take a toll.

One would think he’d like this week to regroup. Maybe spend time on the farm with the fam.

Or perhaps teeing it up again and focusing on another event will take his mind off of it. Besides, he is not representing South Africa at next week’s Olympics, so he can rest up later before the playoff push.

Oosthuizen finished T-3rd last week at The Open where he held a two-shot 54-hole lead. It was his 11th straight stroke play cut made in a row, counting one on the European Tour. He finished in the top 25 at the Masters and was a runner up at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

Sigh.

It’s easy to remember Oosthuizen’s bunker miscues or some leaky swings on Sunday. Nor should we forget how flawless he was for the bulk of the proceedings that put him in the spotlight in the first place.

Credit Oosthuizen’s upstanding attitude about the close calls. Most of us would not be so gracious in defeat.

The 38-year-old is making his 3M Open debut. Despite being a newcomer to TPC Twin Cities, it’s not an overly strategic course. His quick prep work will reveal he’s at a place that rewards good ball strikers like him.

The flat stick didn’t cooperate on the weekend at Royal St. George’s. Louis is still tops on the PGA tour in strokes gained putting (1.602).

Not to mention he’s second on the PGA Tour in SG total (1.911) and 10th around the green (.417). Oosthuizen’s enviable swing stays true with the long irons. He’s fifth in proximity from 200-225 yards (35’).