There were only tears of joy this time as Graeme bounced back
THE golfing season is barely a fortnight old, but there will struggle to be any more heartwarming story all year than that of Graeme Storm.
Less than three months after missing a putt on the final green at the Portugal Masters to lose his European Tour card, there he was defeating Rory McIlroy in a playoff at the South African Open.
That missed putt in Portugal saw him finish 112th on the Race to Dubai list, 100 below the cutoff point.
After 13 years on Tour, it looked like it would be back to Q-School for the former British Amateur Champion.
But Storm was given a reprieve less than a fortnight later when US Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed failed to fulfil membership requirements and came off the list, granting the Hartlepool man another season with the big boys.
The 38-year-old approached it with a changed mindset and 10 years after victory at the French Open, he is back in the winners’ circle.
“Since that day in Portugal, I have tried not to put any pressure on myself,” he says. “I was always setting goals and targets before and it hadn’t worked.
“But I finished fourth at the Alfred Dunhill before Christmas and now I’ve won the South African Open. Incredible.
“You want to play with the best and so to play with Rory for the first time in that arena and beat him in a three-hole play-off, I will cherish that day forever.
“If I never win again, I can say I’m a multiple winner on the European Tour. I could walk away with my head held high.
“You don’t want people to feel that your victory was a flash in the pan. But now I’ve come out on top over 21 holes against Rory, who I consider the best player in the world.
“This win feels even better than the one in France. It’s great.
“I feel like I’ve arrived again as a golfer and this has given me a whole new lease of life. If I keep enjoying my golf, there’s maybe no reason why I can’t win again.”
Storm’s success in South Africa has rightly been described as a fairytale, even though he slumped to a missed cut in Abu Dhabi.
“There was pressure last Sunday, but nothing like that I felt in Portugal,” he recalls.
“At that point, stood over the putt, there were loads of things running through my brain. It was do-or-die. I could lose my livelihood and what would I do with the rest of my life?
“I came off the 18th green and my wife, Sarah, was in tears, and I was trying to hold them back.
“Most people in the lockerroom didn’t know what to say. Then in the airport, Sarah again had tears in her eyes as players came up to me.
“It was nice to have support of guys like Robert Rock. He was so apologetic, knowing how tough it can be on Tour.
“I don’t know if Sarah cried last Sunday as she’s back home and I’ve not seen her yet. But she is elated and she knows that we’ve achieved something special.”