Louis Oosthuizen shoots incredible 63 day after kidney stones forced him to WD from pro-am

Less than eight hours before his opening-round tee time at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Louis Oosthuizen was in trouble.

The 37-year-old South African withdrew from the pro-am on Wednesday and checked into the hospital for treatment. Fast forward to 3 a.m. on Thursday, and the 2010 Open champ was crawling around his hotel room while dealing with the agonizing pain of kidney stones.

Yet he still made it to his 10:28 a.m. tee time — and then he shot a nine-under 63 to grab the first-round lead.

“Considering at 3 a.m. this morning I didn’t think I was going to tee it up, I’m very chuffed with that round,” Oosthuizen told the European Tour.

Oosthuizen said he started to feel better around 6 a.m. and decided he’d see how he felt on the range. He eventually realized that walking fast made him feel uncomfortable, but if he walked at a slow pace and did everything else slowly, he was OK. And his score proved that.

Oosthuizen didn’t make a bogey in his nine-birdie round at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa. He holds a three-shot lead over Thomas Detry, who is at six under.

“I played good at the HSBC two weeks ago (solo 3rd), and I know the swing is there, the putting is there,” Oosthuizen said. “I just need to be able to play.”

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