HUMBLE, Texas – One year ago, Louis Oosthuizen was the Shell Houston Open 54-hole leader. While a final-round 75 knocked him into a solo third-place finish, it still showed he was ready for the Masters.
And of course, one week later he reached a playoff at Augusta National, losing on the second extra hole to Bubba Watson.
This year is starting to look like déjà vu all over again.
Oosthuizen fired a bogey-free 7-under 65 in the third round on Saturday to get back into contention for a second straight year.
And yes, he’s also thinking about how this could help him for the Masters.
“I’m working on getting the game right for the Masters and still got a few things that I’m working on,” he said. “I need to tidy up some shots. I hit it really well today and made some putts. The key to playing well at Augusta is making putts.”
That was also the key to his round on Saturday. After needing 29 and 30 putts in his first two rounds, respectively, Oosthuizen needed just 26 while posting seven birdies for the day.
In four previous PGA Tour starts this season, he hasn’t finished better than a share of 17th place.