It’s been a long time coming but Louis Oosthuizen hasarrived in Australia for the first time.

The World Number 21 is teeing it up in the ISPS HANDA Perth International this week at Lake Karrinyup thanks to the later scheduling.

"It’s my first time, so far I’m having a good time. I’m really enjoying it.  There are a lot of similarities to South Africa, just driving around in Perth," said Oosthuizen who has been kept from visiting Australia sooner by scheduling conflicts.

"The Sunshine Tour and the Australian Tour was always pretty similar timing.  So you know, that time of the year, I was always back in South Africa in November, December, January."

"Now this tournament is a little bit later and it just worked out perfectly.  I was in Malaysia, which is only about a five‑hour flight to here, so it just worked out perfectly this time."

Not knowing what to expect when he arrived down under, Oosthuizen turned to two of his Aussie friends, Brett Rumford and Ian Baker-Finch for advice.

"I like playing in heat.  I mean, Brett (Rumford) asked me three weeks ago, "Are you ready for Perth, it was 41 degrees today."  So, I arrived yesterday morning with shorts and flip‑flops and it was ten degrees outside when I walked out the airport." 

"That was really a bit different than what I expected. But the locals said that the weekend should be nice and warm."

While Rummy might have steered him in the wrong direction he is hoping Baker-Finch’s predictions are more fortuitous.

"I like the golf course.  A few people have spoken to me about the golf course, saying they really like it and I would love it, Ian Baker‑Finch, Ernie (Els)," continued Oosthuizen.

"It’s definitely one where you can take it on off the tee and try and hit a few bombers down there."

"Then you’ve got to be really careful on your second shots.  You’ve got to place yourself in the right spots.  The greens look like they might firm up a little bit and they will be fast, which is good."

Teeing off his ISPS HANDA Perth International campaign tomorrow at 7am alongside Greg Chalmers and defending champion Thorbjorn Olesen, Oosthuizen is carrying the weight of the favourite tag yet he believes that in golf the favourite rarely wins.  

"Obviously it’s a nice feeling going into it as the favourite for the week, but again, you’ve got to play well," continued Oosthuizen.

"You’ve got to hit good shots and there are a lot of good guys in the field.  That’s what makes golf different to any other sport.  The favourite always wins in any other sport, but golf doesn’t work that way."

"Anything can happen on the day, you need to stay in the present and not really start thinking too much out on the golf course about shooting low scores," added Oosthuizen who is predicting Marcus Fraser and Brett Rumford to be in the mix come Sunday.

"Obviously Marcus won last week, so he’ll be very tough this week to beat.  So, you have Rummy, who is a local boy, I think he will also have a good week.  It’s very unpredictable, but I’m feeling quite good for the week."

The ISPS HANDA Perth International is being held at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club from Thursday 25 – Sunday 28 February.  Tickets can be purchased TicketMaster or at the gate.