Oosthuizen was a member of the Ernie Els Foundation in South Africa, receiving help and inspiration from this South African golfing hero. He won numerous amateur titles before turning professional in 2002 at the age of 19. Oosthuizen also triumphed at his first European Tour event in 2010, the Open de Andalucia de Golf. He followed that with his first major championship - the 139th Open Championship played over the Old Course at St Andrews, winning by a massive seven shots. In 2012, he won for the fourth time on the European Tour when he successfully defended his Africa Open title.
"I'm pleased to announce that I am joining the Mercedes-Benz family as a golf ambassador. Their dedication to golf for the past 30 years has been first class and I am looking forward to working with a brand that is as passionate about the game as I am," he said.
"Our involvement in golf is primarily through the MercedesTrophy, an annual tournament run through our dealerships and their customers, who compete nationally for a top place in the finals. The winning team represents Mercedes-Benz South Africa in the international MercedesTrophy World Final. These hotly contested events are a highlight on our events calendar," said Selvin Govender, divisional manager marketing of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
"We are also proud of our latest golfing sponsorship, the Mercedes-Benz southern Africa Golf Hall of Fame, based in Oubaai in the Western Cape. With southern Africa's rich heritage of golf and continued success locally and internationally, it is in our interest to keep the works of art and respective memorabilia in a museum fitting for such fascinating works," added Govender.
Louis Oosthuizen's vehicles of choice are the ML 63 AMG in South Africa and a GL 450 in the United States, whilst his foundation, The Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy, founded in 2009, will utilise a new-generation Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van which will be outfitted to operate as a mobile golfing clinic. The foundation plays a crucial role in the development of golf in a number of disadvantaged school-going children in the Mossel Bay community in the Western Cape. The Sprinter will enable the programme to reach a number of young players in outlying areas.
