Louis Oosthuizen, the South African surprise winner of the British Open, was never a threat until we actually figured out how to pronounce his name.

When he stole the lead at the Open Championship after a brilliant five-under-par, 67, in round 2, the golfing public was forced to pay attention to the hard hitting right-hander nicknamed "Shrek."

But the odds were against him—eight missed cuts at previous major championships, overlooked victories on what was assumed to be a mediocre tour (five wins on the Sunshine Tour), and an overall lack of respect for the young, unknown South African.

However, Oosthiuzen defied the odds, rose to the occasion, and put on one of the most consistent performances in major championship history.

Oosthiuzen basically redefined how to drive the golf ball accurately, especially in his final round on Sunday when he appeared unflappable off the tee.

But it was his fusion of precise driving, executing an array of golf shots that weathered the arduous, Scottish conditions, and dependable putting that led to his overwhelming victory over the field.

Don't forget, Oosthiuzen had a firm grasp of the swirling winds and firm greens of St. Andrews because they resemble the difficult conditions of where he grew up playing in Mossel Bay, South Africa.

Too many critics are saying that other elite players like Casey and Westwood underperformed instead of giving Oosthiuzen his due.

However, it was his consistency from tee to green and strength of mind that allowed him to persevere and earn himself his first major championship.

Tiger Woods' game this week at St. Andrews was disappointing and a poor display, but it's overshadowed by a multitude of other remarkable stories.

It's time to stop giving Tiger the benefit of the doubt, time to stop picking him to win, and time to start letting people who are playing better golf than him enjoy the spotlight.

The physical aspects of his game, from hitting shots under the wind to draining clutch putts, did not resemble that of a champion. But more importantly, he's not playing the role of a champion.

Is anyone else tired of watching Woods wince after pummeling drives, drop his putter and shout profanity after missing putts, and more than anything, listening to him spin off his failures?

Phil Mickelson played like garbage this week; he never had momentum and never felt comfortable with his ball-striking, but he also never put up a false front. He was unabashedly honest about his struggles, and Tiger Woods could learn from him.

Even a youngster like Rickie Fowler, who is only 21-years-old, played in his first Open Championship and tied for 14th, looked more mature than Woods.

Fowler struggled initially with a disastrous opening round of seven-over-par 79, but he battled back and fired a five-under-par 67 to make the cut. In his next two rounds, he shot a combined six under-par, showing incredible resilience, resourcefulness, and relentlessness to play his best golf.

Some will criticize Tiger's putter and others will attack his demeanor on the course, but it seems like overall Woods is nowhere near ready to return to his once dominant form.

Now more than ever, the question looms as to whether he will ever be that player again.

Commentators, critics, and golf fans alike can't stop talking about the absence of Americans atop the leaderboard over the four days of this year's British Open.

But realistically, what do people expect?

This is a links course with conditions that don't exist in the US. Sure, some American courses experience severe winds and firm greens, but there really is no comparison.

European players, whether it was Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, or Retief Goosen, have a better grasp of the distinctive challenge posed by St. Andrews because it's embedded in their memory and an essential component in how they learned to play golf.

By Sunday, the Americans were nowhere near posing a threat to the title, but they definitely made their presence recognized.

Nick Watney and Sean O'Hair finished T8 at -6, Jeff Overton T11 at -5, and Tom Lehman, J.B. Holmes, Dustin Johnson, and Rickie Fowler finished T14 at -4.

People need to be realistic with the specific demand of this course and understand that it was not a total loss for Americans.

Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink, Y.E. Yang, Graeme McDowell, and now Louis Oosthuizen are all first time major championship winners, recording five of the last six major championships.

Anomaly or completely ordinary?

There are a few pivotal factors that may influence your point of view.

Since Tiger Woods' surgery after the 2008 US Open, he recovered and won on Tour, but did not capture a major victory in 2009. In that time, four fresh, new major champions soared and had their names etched in the record books.

Then, when Woods' sex scandal broke, Tiger committed to an indefinite absence from golf. But since his reemergence, we have learned it is clearly not a resurgence.

After being immersed in Tiger-mania and literally expecting Tiger to win every event he entered, it feels like second nature to diminish the victories of these "lesser" golfers.

But for players like Glover, Yang, Cink, McDowell, and Oosthiuzen to become major champions should not be branded "surprising" or "undeserving," but instead that major championships are meant to delineate—the ultimate accomplishment in golf.

The Old Course at St. Andrews presented an incredible challenge to the best golfers in the world at this year's Open Championship.

It wasn't just the roaring winds or 22,000 square foot double greens. It wasn't the thick gorse that ate balls or the road bunkers that devoured rounds.

It was the blending of each of these grueling features that made the Old Course's 18-holes the most distinctive, demanding, and inspiring in the world.

Sadly, just hours after Louis Oosthiuzen captured his first major championship, critics have been quick to call this Open Championship "boring" and claim that it lacked suspense.

Well, they must have been watching a different tournament, with different players, on a different course.

Each and every round was captivating because St. Andrews challenges players with not only physically demanding aspects, but with the awe-inspiring, historical presences of the oldest, most prestigious golf course in the world.