South African sensation Branden Grace continued a remarkable start to the New Year by upstaging his more fancied compatriots in Retief Goosen and Ernie Els to brilliantly win the Volvo Champions event in a play-off at Fancourt.
The 23-year old Grace became the second player in three months to win back-to-back on the Race to Dubai Tour after Spain’s Sergio Garcia captured the Castellon Masters and Volvo Masters late last year.
Grace also is the first player since American legend Fred Couples in 1995 to win both a first and second European Tour success back-to-back.
As well, Grace also is the fifth South African to win back-to-back on the European Tour and among those was legendary Dale Hayes who interviewed Grace after his win.
Bizarrely, it was only a few weeks ago Grace regained full membership and now he’s won the Joburg Open and the second staging of the Volvo Champions event as well as moving inside the top-100 in the world.
And Grace was also the last player into the elite Fancourt field in winning a week prior in the South African capital.
Branden Grace makes it two in a row with Volvo Champions success. (Photo - Carl Fourie/www.golffile.ie)
“I am really estatic and it’s been a great two weeks,” said Grace.
“It’s just been amazing to win two events at home and I would like to thank all my family and friends for their support as well as Callaway Golf that have stood by me.
“But it was a little bit of nerves on the last in regulation when I missed that putt so it was second time lucky for me
“I can’t believe I was in a play-off with Ernie and Retief but I felt really calm out there today, and I was very relaxed out there.
“This is pretty better much the best tournament I have played in and it’s always been a dream coming back here to Fancourt as it has been a home away from home for me.”
It had been Grace who missed a short birdie putt at the last to send the event into a play off.
The three players ended regulation play locked at 12-under par with Els shooting the best final day score of a 67 compared to Goosen’s 70 and Grace’s 71.
However Grace went into the play-off against two of the biggest names ever to don the South African colours and who betweent them have won five Major Championship and four European No. 1 titles.
Els was in trouble off the 18th tee for a second time round before ending up with a par while Grace and Goosen found the fairway.
However Grace drawing on his victory last week in Johannesburg rolled his first putt up to the same distance as he had done only minutes before but then made no mistake in holing the birdie putt.
Belguim’s Nicloas Colsaerts had the chance to make in four in the play-off but after a wild drive down the last the reigning Volvo China Open champion missed a four-foot birdie putt in a closing round of 72 to be fourth on 11-under par.
The same could be said for Charl Schwartzel who also posted a 72 but could look back to a bogey on 11 and then a double bogey at the next that spoilt the Masters chances of success.
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