Grace ends a 10-year itch

Sun City – The average European Tour golfer hits around a dozen greens in regulation per round, which puts into context Branden Grace’s phenomenal display in hitting all 18 Gary Player Country Club greens in regulation on his way to winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City by one stroke yesterday.

Grace produced a magnificent display of driving and iron play as he shot a superb six-under-par 66, finishing on 11-under-par overall and becoming the first South African winner of the country’s most elite golf event since Trevor Immelman won in 2007.

In a tense battle, Grace edged out Scott Jamieson (above) of Scotland by one stroke and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson by two shots.

While Grace easily bombed drives 50 yards further than those two, his putting was rather average as he failed to capitalise on the many chances he created. So it was ironic that the stroke that proved the title-winning blow was a brilliant 50-foot putt for birdie on the par-three 16th hole.

That was the stroke that finally separated him from Jamieson and Dubuisson, after he had started the day three behind leader Jamieson.

Dubuisson was one behind, but he immediately drew level with a birdie from five feet on the first hole, with the Scotsman missing a similar-length putt.

Grace and Jamieson birdied the second, and the South African brushed off the problems he has had on the front nine all week by picking up further birdies at the par-four fifth and sixth holes.

With Dubuisson only adding one birdie, also at the sixth, and Jamieson suffering a double-bogey after he thinned his third shot out of a bunker and over the green on the par-four eighth, there was suddenly congestion atop the leaderboard.

They all birdied the 10th and Jamieson and Grace both birdied 14, and when Dubuisson dropped a vital stroke on 15 when his third shot was short of the green and he missed a seven-footer for par, it opened the way for Grace to land the killer blow on 16.

China’s Haoting Li came storming up the leaderboard with a brilliant 64 that lifted him into fourth, four shots back, and Martin Kaymer just couldn’t make a putt on the back nine as he finished on six-under-par.

Darren Fichardt ended with a solid 68 to finish tied for sixth with Lee Westwood.