Oosthuizen looks end Tour victory drought at WGC-HSBC Champions

Surprising though it may be for a player of his caliber, Louis Oosthuizen has just a single PGA Tour victory to his name: his major breakthrough at the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews.

But after a Saturday 65 in China, Oosthuizen has once again put himself in position for a long-overdue follow-up.

The South African will enter Sunday at the WGC-HSBC Champions 14 under par, just one off the 54-hole pace set by leader Rory McIlroy.

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“It’s been getting better every round,” he said. “Struggled the first two rounds with my driver. A little bit better today. Still a few wayward ones there in the middle of the round, but you know, I’m hitting my irons very good and I’m rolling the ball nicely, so that helps.”

Oosthuizen poured in nine birdies in the third round and briefly appeared headed for 18-under 54 when he circled each of his first five holes.

He’d add four more birdies, including a two-putt 4 at the par-5 18th, and two bogeys to work his way into solo second.

Although he’s captured just that one PGA Tour title — a pretty important one, at that — Oosthuizen has won 14 times worldwide and most recently took the South African Open in December of last year.

His best finish in a World Golf Championship was a loss to Jason Day in the final of the 2016 Match Play. It’s one of eight Tour runner-ups for Oosthuizen, who has recorded second-place finishes at all four majors and The Players Championship.