Branden Grace finally getting what he deserves

Post by Golf Journalist, Nick Bonfield 

Golf journalists typically aren’t shy of giving plaudits. It’s not like football, where reporters and columnists are constantly on the lookout for the next opportunity to vilify someone or dish out vitriol against individuals, organisations and clubs who all too often draw negative attention to a sport with an irretrievably tarnished reputation. In fact, quite the opposite happens in golf. The vast majority of professionals conduct themselves in exemplary fashion both on and off the course, serve as excellent role models for youngsters and represent the game in an admirable fashion. I’m not saying that all golfers are angels, or that all footballers are sinners, but if you had to match those two adjectives with the most apposite sport, I think we all know what the outcome would be. But I digress…

Anyhow, I’ll stop haranguing football (I am a big Aston Villa fan, by the way) and get back to my point. As I was saying, we aren’t shy in the golfing media of lavishing praise on players for their achievements. However, I believe there are two examples of golfers not getting the appreciation they deserve. The first? Matteo Manassero, who won four European Tour titles by the age of 21 – a quite extraordinary accomplishment. The second concerns last week’s Qatar Masters winner, Branden Grace.

If I were to ask you to name five of the best young golfers in the world, who would they be? You might not know them all, but I’m willing to bet Grace wouldn’t feature. Perhaps it’s because of the changing paradigm of professional golf, where young success isn’t considered out of the ordinary. Perhaps it’s because Grace seems so much older than a young man, maybe it’s because he’s not from Europe, or even due to his limited success on the world stage.

You might be surprised to learn he’s just 26 years of age. Yes, really. That’s one year older than Rory McIlroy and the same age as Rickie Fowler – the poster boy for the young generation of talented golfers. As much as I like Fowler - as a person and as a player – and think he’s got major-winning pedigree, it doesn’t seem right that a one-time PGA Tour winner is billed as one of the game’s biggest superstars in the making, but a six-time European Tour champion isn’t mentioned in the same breath. Also, Grace has been on Tour for about half the time Fowler has.

I’m not trying to disparage Fowler here, quite the opposite, but he’s a convenient comparison given his age and stature. Some might point to the fact that Grace has a poor record in the majors and WGCs, but it’s worth remembering he’s only played in 11 major championships, including a tie for 18th en debut at The Masters in 2013. I’ve no doubt he’ll start picking up in this area as he accrues more experience, but, for now, I want to focus on the magnitude of his achievements since earning a European Tour card for the second time.

At the second event of the 2012 season – the Joburg Open – Grace fended off Englishman Jamie Elson to claim his first European Tour title. The following week, things got even better. In the Volvo Golf Champions, Grace defeated Ernie Els and Retief Goosen in a play-off to signify the changing of the South African guard. The win was also particularly pertinent as Grace was a product of the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation, which helps nurture young talent.

He notched his third title of an incredible season at the Volvo China Open in March – an event with one of the European Tour’s strongest fields. Only two players have won three European Tour events in a single season at a younger age: Seve Ballesteros and Sandy Lyle. His triumph in the Orient also propelled him alongside Els and Goosen as the only South Africans to win three European Tour events in the same season. His rich vein of formed continued to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he shot a course record 60 at Kingsbarns en route to a fourth victory. That season, he finished 6th on the Race to Dubai, reached 37th in the world and claimed the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.

He was quiet in 2013 – relative to expectation levels following such a stupendous season – but still finished 18th on the Race to Dubai. And, had it not been for an exquisite Phil Mickelson chip in a play-off at the Scottish Open, it could have been even better. Last season, he only recorded three top-10s, but he finished inside the top 25 in 10 of 21 European Tour events – or 48% of the time. He admitted his frustration at his winless streak at the end of the 2014 season, but 31st place on the Race to Dubai is a pretty good result when you’ve failed to play your best golf for most of the year.

His return to the winner’s circle was always going to arrive sooner rather than later, though, and it’s no surprise it came on home turf. In December, the 26-year-old ran away with the Alfred Dunhill Championship, declaring it a “fairytale ending” to the year. In my mind, the fairytale ending came a month later in the Doha desert. Standing on the tee of the driveable par-4 16th, he was tied for the lead and facing a fierce fight with the likes of Marc Warren and Bernd Wiesberger. What followed was truly a mark of his aptitude and his ability to rise to pressure – a vital component of top-tier professional success. He dispatched a driver straight at the pin, hole a five-footer for eagle and got up and down at the last to finish one ahead of Warren.

I know three of his European Tour victories have come in co-sanctioned events, but that shouldn’t detract from what he’s achieved. His wins in China, Scotland and Qatar came in championships with tremendous fields and he’s shown a remarkable ability to close out tournaments since re-joining the European Tour. He may not be a household name as yet – particularly across the pond – but there’s no doubt in my mind he deserves to be considered in the same bracket as Fowler, Patrick Reed and Dubuisson as one of the most talented young golfers on the planet.

Image Credit - PGA Tour Twitter