Proof that nice guys don’t always finish last

Many years ago when I worked on the sports desk at eNCA, a colleague of mine, OG Molefe, and I were invited to play in the BMG Group’s Pro-Am at Glendower.

Because we both had work commitments in the morning, arrangements were made to accommodate us at the back of the field as a three-ball. Our third, we were told, was one of South Africa’s upand-coming young professional players.

The first thing that struck me about our pro was how down to earth he was. He was relaxed and chatty and within minutes of meeting him, OG and I felt we were in the company of an old mate.

He certainly was a fine player and I was astonished at his levels of patience having to play with someone like me, with a golf swing that closely resembles someone attempting to swat a persistent mosquito.

OG and I hacked and thrashed our way through 18 holes and the pro never once lost his composure or sense of humour. He willingly dished out tips, enthusiastically applauded our rare good shots and was, in a phrase, an all-round nice guy. @GuyHawthorne

He told us how he was about to go off to get his European Tour playing card back and, after a wonderful prize-giving dinner (where we won nothing, by the way), OG and I bade him farewell and wished him all the best.

We had exchanged Facebook and Twitter details and both OG and I stayed in touch with him over the years, following his progress in both Europe and the US. He literally burst onto the scene in the next season on the European Tour and very quickly established himself as one of the finest golfers to have come out of South Africa.

I have seen many television interviews with him since that day he played with OG and I and he doesn’t appear to have lost any of the charm he had back then. He is still the same humble, likeable guy we spent a pleasant afternoon with on the course.

I have also chatted to people who have regular contact with him on the golf circuit and they confirm he hasn’t let his success change him … he remains an easy-going, pleasant man with time for everyone.

He has gone on to achieve big things in the world of golf. He regularly features near the top of the leaderboard in tournaments in both Europe and the US. He has also come very close in the Majors and I am convinced it won’t be long before he wins one of them.

His name is Branden Grace and I know my old buddy OG was as thrilled as I was when he won the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City last weekend. It reinforced something I have always believed … good things DO happen to nice people.