Louis Oosthuizen supports StreetGolf Championship Final ahead of The Open
By Sky Sports Golf
Last Updated: 18/07/17 6:42pm
Louis Oosthuizen helped encourage the future generation of golfers at the Golf Foundation’s National StreetGolf Championship Final on Monday.
The event, run by Golf Foundation and the Premier League with support from Sport England, was held at Formby Hall in Liverpool provided young people from all over the country who had qualified as new golfers, many recently experiencing a real golf course for the very first time in a team event.
Oosthuizen, who won The Open in 2010 at St Andrews, was on hand for photographs and talked with the children before they experienced the first practice day of The Open at Royal Birkdale.
"The aim of this national project has been to connect all the benefits of playing golf, including learning life skills associated with the game, with the wider audience in major footballing communities, using the 'power of football' thanks to the Premier League," said Brendon Pyle, Golf Foundation's chief executive.
"We aim to provide all the youngsters involved with a pathway into golf clubs and potential membership. The day was made really special by the presence of Louis Oosthuizen. He is one of the good guys in every sense, a true gentlemen and he has made many friends among the young players.
"A great part of our work concerns offering the 'Skills for Life' benefits of the sport such as respect, resilience, fair-play and sportsmanship. Louis is the perfect example of the values we believe in passionately as a charity."
Teenagers from diverse backgrounds, including non-golfing families and communities attended the event, which draws on the 'power of football', in their favourite football kits as they enjoyed a team Texas scramble and added attractions such as hitting golf shots and footballs at a huge dartboard along with learning football 'freestyle' tricks.
The finalists had taken part in local StreetGolf festivals and short course events at local golf clubs before qualifying for the Formby Hall event, which has been an integral part of the 'Road to the Open' project, run by the PGA, England Golf and the Golf Foundation and funded by The R&A, to provide opportunities for people to learn to play golf, and play golf more regularly.
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