Branden Grace wins Volvo Golf Champions after dramatic playoff

GEORGE –South Africa’s latest golfing sensation, Branden Grace, is a resident of Buffalo Bay and an former pupil of Hoërskool Outeniqua! 

Grace yesterday confirmed his status as a young golfer to be watched when he beat South African icons Ernie Els and Retief Goosen at the first extra hole of a dramatic playoff to win the Volvo Golf Champions played at the Fancourt Links over the weekend. 

He began the day sharing the lead with Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts at -10.  A double bogey at the third and a bogey at the fourth saw him fall behind the leaders early on, but he battled back gamely to -12 going up the eighteenth.  A birdie there would have won him the tournament in regulation play, but he missed a five footer to the bitter disappointment of the large crowd of about 5000 assembled around the final green. 

A solid tee shot and a 272 m rescue club left him with a superfast downhill putt for eagle.  Goosen missed the green on the right, but failed to get up and down.  Els struck his third to within twenty feet of the hole, but could not make the birdie putt.  Grace rolled his first putt down the slippery slope to within about three feet and then made the birdie putt to win his second tournament in two weeks. 

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Asked at the press conference afterwards, Grace said he was now re-thinking his goals.  The first of which will be to get into the top 64 in the world which would  secure him an invitation to the Volvo World Matchplay and the second would be to make the top 50 which would secure him exemption from qualifying for the majors. 

Prior to last weekend’s Joburg Open Grace was ranked a lowly 258 on the Official World Golf Rankings.  His win there elevated him to 164 and today’s win will catapult him into the top 80.  Grace has banked 570 000 Euros, built himself a healthy lead in the Race to Dubai and gained a two year exemption on the European Tour – a staggering eleven days in anyone’s books. 

Not withstanding the fact that he had to re-qualify for the European Tour after losing his card in 2011, at 23 he is still the second youngest player ever to win their first two events back-to-back.  He is also the first player to win more than one event in the year after qualifying for the European Tour since 2006. 

The field of 35 players between them have 14 Major Championship, 41 USPGA Tour and 235 European Tour titles making it the strongest ever assembled for a tournament inSouth Africa.  

The tournament is sponsored by Volvo and managed by IMG.   

Final Round scores as follows: 

Branden Grace sinks a tricky birdie putt to win a dramatic playoff against Ernie Els and Retief Goosen at the Volvo Golf Champions played at the Fancourt Links on Sunday 22 January 2012.

Grace is interviewed by the media after his dramatic win.