Share

Grace hopes to carry SA baton

Cologne - Golfer Branden Grace said on Friday he is hoping to kick-start a South African revival at the BMW International Open on the European Tour in Germany.

The 26-year-old carded his second consecutive five-under 67 at the Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof outside Cologne to lie 10-under, two shots off the pace midway through the second round.

“I think it is about time we have a South African winner again on the European Tour. At one stage the South Africans were looking very good on the world ranking, but the guys have really fallen back a little bit.”

The last South African winner on the European Tour was Thomas Aiken, who won the Africa Open at the Fish River Sun near Port Alfred in February.

However, the tournament, which was co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, failed to attract many big-name players.

The last South African to win outside his home country, was Ernie Els, who topped the leaderboard at the BMW International Open last year.

“I think it is just a matter of time. We just need the one win to inspire the rest again," Grace said.

"I think we did it two years ago, when everybody was doing well. Then one thing led to the other. So it is just a matter of time.

The four-time winner on the European Tour said the South African players tried to encourage each other.

“It is nice. I had breakfast with Jbe' Kruger this morning. He had a level par round yesterday and he is in the same boat.

"I played a practice round with him and I saw he is striking the golf ball beautifully, just not finishing it on the course. I told him this morning: 'just imagine you are on the driving range'. He is hitting it so well on the driving range, he must just take it onto the golf course.

"I am glad to see he had a good day. He finished seven under for the day. I am pleased for him and I think it just needs those little things to go your way.”

Grace started the season strongly, finishing second in the Volvo Golf Champions tournament in Durban, but then struggled to finish near the top. He missed the cut in his last tournament at the Irish Open.

He said he had done a lot of training since then.

“I did not really play badly last week. It was just that I did not get the ball close enough to the hole. But then I worked hard and I now feel really comfortable in the swing and I just have to stay patient. I have given myself chances and I missed a few, but I made a few.

“You can feel you are doing everything well, you are hitting the ball well, you are putting well, but sometimes things just don't happen and I think that was the case after my good start to the season.

“I just needed that one good round to get things going again. And I think that is what happened in the first round on Thursday. It was a very solid round, just one bogey. And today again, I hit the ball great, made a couple of putts and no bogey. So that is a big positive.”

He said that although he was well-placed on 10-under 134, he would have to work hard to remain in contention.

“It is tough - to win you really have to do something special. Like here, I had two great rounds, but I will be three, maybe four behind at the end of the day. So you just keep grinding, it will happen eventually. You just keep going and doing the business.

“I am just very happy that I am in this position and fighting forward.”

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE