South Africa’s US Open hopes in hands of four young guns

South Africa has enjoyed fairly recent success at the US Open, but it will take something of a minor miracle if this country is to produce its next Major champion this weekend.

None of the so-called “big-names” will be in action at the Los Angeles Country Club from Thursday, with only four South Africans teeing it up at this year’s third Major.

Former two-time winners of the US Open crown Ernie Els (1994 and 1997) and Retief Goosen (2001 and 2004) are missing this week and so, too, are other recent Major champions, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

There is also no Branden Grace or Christiaan Bezuidenhout or Dean Burmester, or any other familiar household names.

Four rookies

South Africa’s hopes for Major glory rest with four rookies, players many casual observers may not even have heard of.

Thriston Lawrence, the 26-year-old who won the SA Open at Blair Athol last year, has been consistently good over the last three years and will be confident about at least making the cut.

He has also won two other DP World Tour events recently and will be on debut at this event. His first tee time is 12.37pm on the first tee.

Another first-timer is young Deon Germishuys, the 23-year-old who qualified for the tournament with a score of 10-under par at Walton Heath last month.

He has one top-10 showing on the DP World Tour. He will be first off on the first tee on Thursday, playing in the first group, with a tee time of 6.45am.

Wilco Nienaber, the long-hitting 23-year-old from Bloemfontein, will tee it up at a US Open for the second time. He qualified for this year’s event after posting an impressive nine-under par in final qualifying, also at Walton Heath.

Nienaber made the cut at Torrey Pines on US Open debut two years ago and finished in a tie for 68th. He’ll be off at 12.48pm, on the first tee.

The other South African in action is amateur Aldrich Potgieter (18), who has impressed in amateur and junior tournaments all around the world in the last two years. He goes off at 12.37pm, on the 10th.