PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- The journey from Western Australia to the east coast of Florida was a long one, even by the standards of a world traveler such as Louis Oosthuizen.
The 2010 Open champion, who is from South Africa, left the European Tour event in Perth on Sunday night on a 10-hour flight to Dubai. After a three-hour layover, he had a 14-hour flight to New York, where he changed planes for a 2½-hour journey to West Palm Beach, Florida, where Oosthuizen makes his U.S. base.
"I got to my house at 7 p.m. Monday," Oosthuizen, 34, said Wednesday following his pro-am round for the Honda Classic. "I went to bed at 11 ... and was up at 2."
Such are the rigors of jet lag, with which Oosthuizen and many of his colleagues are all too familiar.
What they are not accustomed to is change, certainly not in the way a golf tournament is played. Aside from the World Golf Championship match-play event on the PGA Tour and a match-play event on the European Tour, it is 72 holes of stroke play, week after week.
But Oosthuizen took part in an event that went well outside golf's comfort zone, a tournament staged by the European Tour in an effort to call attention to the game and perhaps attract new fans.
Called the ISPS Handa World Super 6, the tournament staged at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth was far from the standard fare 72-hole event.
Instead, after 54 holes of stroke play, the top 24 players advanced to the final day, which was all match play.
From there, it got a bit confusing. The top eight players were given a bye, with the remaining 16 players facing off in six-hole matches. The winners took on the eight players who got byes, and from there the tournament was whittled down to a final six-hole match.
Australia's Brett Rumford won over Phachara Khongwatmai, a 17-year-old who would have become the second-youngest winner in European history. Rumford made it through three six-hole matches to reach the final, while Khongwatmai had to endure four.
Oosthuizen finished fifth overall after advancing to the top eight after stroke play, then losing his second match-play contest.
If it all sounds somewhat complicated -- well, it was. Even to the players.
"There was some chaos on Sunday morning. Nobody was quite sure exactly how it was all going to work," Oosthuizen said. "I think they will make a few tweaks and it will all work out. They need to make some changes, but they can do something with it."
One of the quirks came about if two players were tied after a six-hole match. The outcome was then decided on a makeshift hole of less than 100 yards, a sudden-death shootout, if you will.
"I didn't like the little shootout because it was only 60 or 70 yards," Oosthuizen said. "It didn't really fit. You felt like you were doing a pitch and putt. And that is the difference between advancing or not. Everybody hits it close, too much luck involved. Then it's all on who misses a putt. To me that wasn't the way it should be.
"But occasionally I think this format is OK. Golf will always be 72 holes stroke play. There's so much history involved that way. But a change like this can work in some events. To have something different is good."
Perhaps because he was the winner, Rumford was a fan. The European Tour veteran who has now won six times dominated the stroke-play portion before capturing the overall title.
"Golf is bigger than one person," he said after his victory. "If it's going to grow the game and it's more than just a golf tournament and it becomes an event in which we're trying to grow the sport with a bit more thrill and excitement about it, then I think as a tour we've done a good job."
European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley has made it a point to explore different formats.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said the tour is considering staging a men's and women's event at the same time or even a mixed-team event.
In April at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, there will be a two-man team event. Oosthuizen will be there for that, too, playing alongside countryman Branden Grace with best-ball and foursomes (alternate shot) formats being used.
"Better ball and foursomes have been around forever," Oosthuizen said. "I think that's going to be fun. We don't have enough team play in golf, and I think that format can be very successful."
