A reflection on Branden Grace’s 2012 season
Branden Grace, the South African professional golfer exhibited excellence on the fairways throughout the year, and as a result, he has made a big name for himself.
The 24-year-old from George, South Africa turned professional back in 2007. He used to play on the Challenge Tour before switching over to the Sunshine and the European Tour.
He has six professional wins to date, out of which four were on the European Tour and three on the Sunshine Tour. The European Tour, in collaboration with the Sunshine Tour sanctions the Joburg Open. Grace won this year’s version of the tournament by playing
one of the most exhilarating rounds of his career.
Although he managed to win the tournament by one stroke, he still managed to get the best of Jamie Elson, who came in second place.
The South African then went on to win the Volvo Golf Champions in the subsequent week and made two consecutive victories.
During the tournament, Grace was faced with a stiff challenge by his countryman, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. The match went into a playoff and eventually Grace came out as the champion.
The feat of winning consecutive tournaments saw Grace’s name appear in the record books, as he became the first golfer after Fred Couples to have won two tournaments back to back.
As a result of his wins, the South African moved into the top hundred ranked golfers of the world.
With a reputation made as one of the leading contenders on the European Tour, Grace gained confidence and made his way to another victory that came in the Volvo China Open.
By winning three tournaments on the European Tour, the South African became one of the very few golfers to have won three tournaments in a calendar year at such a young age.
Before him, there was Seve Ballesteros, who won three times in the 1970’s. Sandy Lyle won his three in 1979.
With such a successful year on the Tour, Grace became one of three South African players to have won three tournaments in a single season. The other South African golfers include, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.
He registered another record to his name, when he became only the second golfer on the Tour to have won three titles in a season right after graduating from the Qualifying School.
Grace is one of the leading golfers on the tour now, after having an excellent run of form on the fairways. Although Grace did not get his share of the limelight, because of the Rory McIlroy hype, he still made his mark.
He managed to make it on top of the Order of Merit of the Sunshine Tour.
2012 proved to be a dream season for the South African. With a similar run of form, he is highly likely to achieve much more in the years ahead.
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