Oosthuizen SA's best bet at Open

Five years ago it seemed that South African golf was on the cusp of a golden age and that winning major titles would be a regular occurrence for the foreseeable future.

Ernie Els had just won the 2012 Open at Royal Lytham to claim the country's fourth major in five years and 22nd overall.

Prior to the Big Easy winning his fourth major with that Open triumph, Trevor Immelman (2008 Masters), Louis Oosthuizen (2010 Open) and Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters) had all made breakthroughs.

But here we are, five years on, on the eve of the 146th Open at Royal Birkdale, and South Africa's major tally has stalled, with no successes since 2012.

Oosthuizen, 34, continues to be South Africa's brightest hope with the game that can blow the field away if his putter heats up.

 This will be Oosthuizen's 11th Open. In the previous 10, he has made the cut on only five occasions.

This year, nine South Africans will tee up at Birkdale, including major winner Ernie Els, who will be making his 27th Open appearance.

Schwartzel and Oosthuizen are South Africa's highest-ranked playersat 21 and 23 in the world.