If you had walked around St Andrews on one of the practice days prior to the tournament and asked the general public, who is Louis Oosthuizen, the majority wouldn't have had a clue.

What a difference four days makes.

Ask the same question now and everyone can tell you he is the 27-year-old South African who was fired into the spotlight with his win of the famous claret jug at The Open.

It was possibly the most appropriate day he could have won a tournament of this magnitude, as July 18 is the birthday of South Africa's most famous resident, Nelson Mandela, who is 92.

Having missed the cut in each of his three previous attempts at The Open, one could be forgiven for thinking he was a fluke winner of golf's most prestigious tournament. He has, however, been progressing quietly under the radar of the general public, winning five events of the Sunshine Tour in recent years, as well as emerging victorious in the Andalucían Open earlier this year.

Before The Open, in fact, he was nudging the top 50 in the world, higher in the rankings than household names like Vijay Singh, David Toms and Davis Love III. He now sits 15th, a single place above countryman Retief Goosen.

While he may have been a surprise winner, he was certainly a worthy one.

Consistency is key in golf. There is no point being able to drive 350 yards if you can't keep it on the fairway, and it's no use being able to put the ball on the green in one or two shots at every hole if you can't putt.

Oosthuizen isn't spectacular at any one part of the game of golf, but he was by far the most solid and consistent in this event, finding fairways and greens with unerring accuracy despite the infamous Scottish winds howling round the course.

He played the game the right way, taking risks when appropriate, but able to play with a degree of conservatism when needed. He also possesses one of the neatest swings in the world game, a no nonsense, straight forward swipe of the club with no un-necessary movements or exertions. It's a swing that was nurtured at the Ernie Els foundation in his native South Africa and has stood him in good stead ever since.

It's been a great year for South African sport, following on the successful soccer World Cup, the country now possess five players in the top 27 in the golf world rankings: Tim Clark and Charl Schwartzel, along with the aforementioned Els, Goosen and Oosthuizen.

The future of South African golf looks strong, especially with other players in their 20s, such as Richard Sterne and Jbe' Kruger breaking into the top 200 in the world.

Oosthuizen is keen not to become a flash in the pan golfer and has his sights firmly set on the United States PGA Championship in Wisconsin at the Whistling Straits course, which is arguably the closest America has to a links style course. \

The tournament starts in mid-August, and given the way Oosthuizen played the links of St Andrews, who would argue with his chance of making it two majors in a year?