Louis Oosthuizen is looking to warm-up for next week’s Open Championship by competing for a first time on the Castle Staurt course and venue for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

Oosthuizen has not contested a Scottish Open since the week before capturing the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Louis Oosthuizen making his debut this week on the Gil Hanse designed Castle Stuart course. (Photo - Stuart Adams/www.golftourimages.com)

He missed the cut that year at Loch Lomond before storming to success at the Home of Golf.

And after missing the premier Scottish event last year, the South African is looking forward, despite the poor weather, to the challenge this week on the Gil Hanse designed course.

“It’s nice to be back playing a Scottish Open, albeit a bit rainy,” he smiled.

“I can’t remember the last time I wore a full rain suit like this, but it’s good.  The course looks good and I’ve heard it’s a great track.   So, if the weather stays this way, which I think it is, it will be difficult.

“But links golf should be harsh weather.  It should be rainy.  “It should be windy.”

Oosthuizen spent last Saturday playing a practice round at Royal Lytham and St. Annes that last hosted golf’s oldest Major in 2001 and three years before the current World No. 20 made his Open Championship debut at Royal Troon.

“I played Lytham last Saturday and that course looks really good,” he said.

“There was not a breath of wind or rain on that links.  I know it’s going to be that way probably but a great course, and you definitely need to be very good off the tee.”

And after coming so close to winning the Masters earlier this year, Oosthuizen is quitely confident of capturing a second Open Championship in three years.

“Coming so close in such a big event like the Masters, you are always going to wonder afterwards where you could have saved a shot,” he said.

“But I’ve taken a lot away from Augusta each year, and that’s nice when you have one or two good tournaments there for the future.

“My record at Augusta there for years wasn’t that good as I’ve struggled on the greens. But this year, I found myself getting more used to the speed of the greens and that helped a lot.”