Oosthuizen Birdies His Way Into the Lead at Deutsche Bank

South Aftican golfer Louis Oosthuizen made seven straight birdies Sunday to help build a three-shot lead. (Michael Dwyer)

Most people expected PGA Champion Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods to set the pace Sunday at TPC Boston. However, as the third round of the Deutsche Bank Championship got under way, it was clear that someone else was set to emerge as the pacesetter. That someone turned out to be South African golfer Louis Oosthuizen.

Oosthuizen found his groove and didn't look back. On the front nine, he made seven birdies for a tournament record 29. From holes four through ten, Oosthuizen made seven consecutive birdies. He didn't even miss a green until the 17th hole. The same hole where Oosthuizen had his only bogey of the round, but he made amends for it on the 18th with yet another birdie.

Oosthuizen finished his round Sunday with an 8-under 63. Through three rounds, he has shot a tournament-record 19-under 194. Oosthuizen leads McIlroy by three shots and Woods and Dustin Johnson by six shots each. He is right where he wants to be going into the final round on Labor Day.

There's no guarantee that Oosthuizen will just stroll away with this win Monday. However, he has dominated like this before. After all, Oosthizen is the same golfer who won the 2010 Open Championship by seven shots. Though he is also the same golfer who dramatically lost the Masters last April in a playoff to Bubba Watson.

The question becomes which Oosthuizen will we see Monday as he tries to hold his lead in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship. He will have the added pressure of having Johnson and Woods directly ahead of him and being placed in the final pairing with McIlroy. Oosthuizen has told reporters that he is ready to prove that the Open Championship win wasn't a fluke. That he can win another major. Well this appears to be just the opportunity he was looking for.

Oosthuizen has the three-shot lead in a significant tour tournament. If he is going to win this thing, he is going to have directly beat a pair of former major champions. As they say, to be the best, you have to beat the best. Oosthuizen isn't the best golfer in the world right now, but if he wants to be in that conversation, this is the type of tournament he must win. All eyes on Labor Day will be directly on Oosthuizen to see what he does.