Louis has drive

Posted : 21 February 2026

SA golf star Louis Oosthuizen is actually a speed demon who loves cars, writes Edwin Naidu

SOUTH African golfer and Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador Louis Oosthuizen is as adept at speeding around a racetrack as he is driving off the tee.  He showed great skill behind the wheel when he was a special guest at Mercedes-Benz truck customers’ track day outing at Kyalami, north of Johannesburg, recently. He had lots of fun on the skid pan.

“I don’t usually do much of this: it was incredible fun,” he said, almost schoolboyish as he eyed another ride in the powerful AMG.  In 2010, Oosthuizen, 32, became the fourth man from South Africa to win the British Open —following in the divot marks of fellow countrymen Bobby Locke, Gary Player and the man who helped launch his career, Ernie Els.

The self-confessed car freak, who admits to having owned about 30 cars, began by driving his dad’s tractor on the family farm in Mossel Bay in the Western Cape.  Now he has a Mercedes-Benz ML63 in Mossel Bay and a Merc GL450 in the US.

What was your first car?
An Isuzu single-cab 2.8 turbodiesel.

How did you get it?
It was my dad’s bakkie. I bought it from him for about R80 000.

How long did you have it?
I had it for probably a year or so before getting a VW Jetta TDi.

What attracted you to it?
I needed a vehicle.

What's the most surprising thing about your current car?
I love my ML63 because it’s fun to drive on the farm in Mossel Bay. Even on gravel roads on the farm, it goes beautifully.

What made you choose it?
I wanted something sporty and had a C63 before. But needed something suitable for the farm. I love the sound of the engine.

Tell us about your first big accident?

About three years ago while in the US, about 200m from our hotel, a guy came out of nowhere and banged into us.  Fortunately, I was in the rear of the passenger side. The car was totalled, but all of us were fine. I just had a sore neck.

If you won the lotto, what vehicle(s) would you buy?

Maybe an aeroplane, because I do a lot of travelling and it would make getting around easier.

Have you found anything on the market that you simply could not resist?
I bought a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, which had been a big dream of mine. I love the raw power, but would not drive it in the wet.

What drives you?
I like the excitement and curiosity of discovering how far one can get in golf.