Louis Oosthuizen

Oosthuizen will play in the Open Championship as a past winner.

Yet another surprise from 2020-21, at the age of 38, Oosthuizen posted his best season on the PGA Tour and honestly, it wasn't even close. His previous best was in 2012 when he posted two runner-up finishes and $3.4 million. This past year he doubled the runner-ups (4) and nearly doubled his earnings. The downside again was his inability to close at the majors, but it's hard to complain about playing extremely well at majors and cashing big checks. The other downside for fantasy purposes is that Oosthuizen is simply not an option in salary cap leagues this season. He's always been great when he's on, but consistency has never been his thing. Expecting another season like this one, next year, is insane.

Oosthuizen won his first and only major in 2010, while a non-member, but he used that victory to take full membership on the PGA Tour the following season. In his 10 years as a full time member of the PGA Tour however, Oosthuizen has failed to pick up another win. That's not to say he hasn't been close, but for some reason, he just can't break through. He remains a consistent force on the PGA Tour, but his upside is limited now and even at this discounted price, he's not a "must-have."

Amazingly, Oosthuizen has just one win on the PGA Tour. That win, of course, was the 2019 Open Championship, but since then, through 153 starts, he's failed to get back to the winner's circle. That's not to say that he's been unproductive in that time however. Oosthuizen has eight runner-ups and a handful of 3rd-place finishes, but he just can't seem to get over that final hurdle. Without the benefit of a win, there's no reason to think that Oosthuizen can significantly improve upon his number from this past season. He'll remain highly productive however, which means he has plenty of value in every other format.

Since winning the Open Championship in 2010, Oosthuizen's numbers have been all over the place. He hit a major rut in the years that immediately followed his big win, but he seemed to find some traction over the past few seasons. After a three-year stretch where Oosthuizen earned at least $2.4 million each season, he took a bit of a step back last season. Oosthuizen's major problem last season was that he didn't get much done at the majors. He made the cut in all three majors he played, but he failed to post a top-10 at any of them. With his limited schedule, Oosthuizen's value is going to come down to how he fares at the majors. Considering it's getting more difficult every season to compete with these uber talented fields, Oosthuizen's value seems to be fading. As such, he doesn't hold a lot of value as a salary cap selection this season. He still holds plenty of value in other formats however.

Oosthuizen failed to capture a win last season, but he did about everything else expected. Oosthuizen finished runner-up at both the Players and the PGA Championship, which is why he nearly made the Tour Championship. Oosthuizen was the first man out for the Tour Championship, but his prospects look pretty good for the upcoming season. Look for Oosthuizen to find a win at some point, and show a slight increase in earnings.

Oosthuizen's career trajectory is much like that of Graeme McDowell. Both guys won a major in 2010, both have had major ups and downs since then and neither has quite lived-up to expectations. In Oosthizuen's case, the most surprising fact is that he has just one win on the PGA Tour and that was his Open Championship victory in 2010. Since then, he's had plenty of success, but he hasn't had that breakthrough year. He was solid last season, but not great. Unfortunately, he was just good enough to push his earnings number to a point where it doesn't make much sense to select him in a salary cap format. In draft leagues he holds more value as he'll play in all the big events this season. As such, he's a third- or fourth-round selection in drafts.

Oosthuizen's path has been very similar to Graeme McDowell's over the years. Both players were solid, but not great prior to winning their respective majors and both have failed to take their games up a notch since winning those majors. Oosthuizen still has plenty of upside, but he's had plenty of time to show his major winning form and he just can't get it back. He's worth a look in salary cap leagues, but don't feel bad if you can't find room for him. In draft leagues he should go in the 9th or 10th round.

Oosthuizen got off to a slow start last season and although he showed some signs of life in early April, his season didn't really get started until August. A top-5 finish at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational started a stretch of seven consecutive top-25s that he'll carry into 2013. Like many on the PGA TOUR, Oosthuizen is a world traveler and his focus will never entirely be on just the PGA TOUR, but if he plays like he did last season, especially at the end, it won't matter. The problem with Oosthuizen, though, is the number of events he plays, coupled with the lack of a track record in the states. As such, it would probably be wise to pass on Oosthuizen in salary cap leagues this year. In draft leagues, Oosthiuzen is a late second-round pick.

Much like his fellow major champion, Graeme McDowell, Oosthuizen struggled to back up his win in 2011. Oosthuizen never really got untracked last season and carded only three Top-10s, two of which came after the regular season ended. Oosthuizen is likely to play a limited schedule again this year, but he may worth a late-round pick because of his availability during big events.

Oothuizen was the unlikely British Open Champion last season, which accounted for nearly all of his non-member PGA Tour earnings last season. Oothuizen is still young, so he might be getting better each season, but the fact is, his game as a whole last season was not very strong - at least in the States. He missed the cut at both the U.S. Open and the Masters in 2010. Still, he's set to join the PGA Tour in 2011 and will play at least 15 events in the U.S.