In a new series on Compleat Golfer, WADE PRETORIUS picks seven standout moments in the career of prolific winner on the European Tour Branden Grace.
Lockdown diaries: Brandon Stone
The Seven Best of: Louis Oosthuizen
Heritage honour
The then 27-year-old rose to 11th in the OWGR and became SA’s No 1 after a final round 66 helped him to the RBC Heritage title. Grace began the final round three shots off the pace, but raced to the turn in 32 strokes, which closed the gap. He then birdied the 12th and 13th to pull clear of the field and, despite making a bogey at the 17th, took a comfortable walk up the 18th en route to his breakthrough win by two over Luke Donald and Russell Knox.
Nothing like No 1
The 23-year-old, a Qualifying School, came through many dangers, toils and snares at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club claim his first win at the Joburg Open in 2012. Grace moved just outside the top 160 of the Official World Golf Ranking from 258th at the start of the week.
In the process, he became the 30th different South African to win on The European Tour and accounted for the 103rd Saffa win. His previous best European Tour performance was T6 in the 2009 South African Open Championship.
Open epic
Grace remains the solo owner of a Major 62 after his incredible feat during round three at Royal Birkdale in the playing of The 146th Open. An opening 29 saw him catapult into the frame before birdies at 16 and 17 saw those keeping golf’s history scrambling to update the record books.
He ended the championship in T6 with Jordan Spieth edging Matt Kuchar for the Claret Jug.
Legend on the Links
Grace claimed the €617,283 when he won his fifth title of the season at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2012. An opening 60 at Kingsbarns saw him set a furious pace before he fended off Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen to win the prestigious event.
Ending the drought at Sun City
Branden Grace produced a stunning closing 66 to win an eighth European Tour title and delight the home fans at the Nedbank Golf Challenge. The win, sealed by a brilliant 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th, was his eighth in 167 appearances on the European Tour and his first since the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in 2016.
It had been 10 long years since the host nation last tasted victory when Trevor Immelman hosted the famous crystal ball in 2007.
18 GIR and a two putt for the win #NGC2017 pic.twitter.com/Ke3Z9BRva3
— Compleat Golfer (@CompleatGolfer) November 12, 2017
Completing the collection
Up until this season’s SA Open, Grace had won every big title on South African soil. After giving Louis Oosthuizen a big scare in the 2019 edition, this year saw Grace fend off his good friend to land the national championship.
A final round 62 – he needed just 22 putts – was enough to get the job done for his 10th win on the European Tour.
Fine form
Grace became a multiple winner in the 2015 season when he edged Marc Warren at the 2015 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters – a tournament he would defend the next year. This triumph came after his Alfred Dunhill Championship win earlier in the season.
Grace drove the par 4 16th green to set up an eagle en route to a final round 66. Grace joined following Darren Fichardt (2003), Ernie Els (2005) and Retief Goosen (2007) as South Africans to lift the famed trophy. Since then, Justin Harding (2019) has added his name to the collection.
