Branden Grace delighted to be nominated Golfer of the Month award on European Tour
South African Branden Grace is overwhelmed by his latest accolade when he was named European Tour Golfer of the Month following his stunning back-to-back victories earlier in the season.
Grace, who barely managed to earn his tour card through the qualifying school, had never thought he would break the headlines in such blistering fashion, and that also right at the beginning of the season.
Grace won the Joburg Open in South Africa, on a turf he had played all his life.
The surprise victory earned him a place at the Volvo Golf Champions, an event strictly reserved for the invitees only.
He took the better of his idols Ernie Els and Retief Goosen to land yet another title in a matter of two weeks. “It has been amazing,” he said. “It would be a dream start for anyone”.
The 23-year-old Pretoria native is now hoping to continue with his blistering start and is currently weighing his options to break into the top-50 on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) to earn a spot in the Masters.
Grace added, “I’m not going to stop here. The batteries are running pretty low at the moment and tiredness is creeping in. But once I get refreshed I’ll be ready to push on from here and I’m definitely going to try and win one or two more – or at least be in contention – this year”.
Turning professional in the year 2007, Grace has played predominantly on the indigenous Sunshine Tour.
He won his European Tour card after going through the strenuous Qualifying rounds in December, 2011.
He won the season-starter Joburg Open in South Africa, taking over Jamie Elson by one stroke.
His performance over the weekend included a final round of 72 with 16 pars, one bogey and as many birdies.
Brimming with confidence, he moved over to the Volvo Golf Champions and won the title on a Playoff against the finest of the South African duo, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.
Grace said, “I think the momentum and everything just carried over into the Volvo Golf Champions and I was so amped just to be playing there”.
Grace was nominated Golfer of the Month over Louis Oosthuizen who won the Africa Open and Robert Rock who won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in the later part of the month.
The young South African is hoping to carry on with his trailblazing golf and vows to land the European Tour Golfer of the Year award at the end of the current season.
He is currently ranked 94th on the OWGR and needs a few more strong finishes to break into top-50 in order to qualify for the Masters this year.
He will not be part of the field at the WGC Accenture Match Play event as only the top-64 qualify for the Knock-out Match Play event.
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