Branden Grace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Branden Grace |
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Grace at the 2016 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Branden John Grace |
| Nickname | Gracie |
| Born | 20 May 1988 Pretoria, South Africa |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb; 12.3 st) |
| Nationality |  South Africa |
| Residence | George, South Africa Tequesta, Florida |
| Spouse |
Nieke Coetzee
(m. 2016) |
| Children | 1 |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2007 |
| Current tour(s) | European Tour Asian Tour Sunshine Tour LIV Golf |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Challenge Tour |
| Professional wins | 15 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 2 |
| European Tour | 9 |
| Sunshine Tour | 6 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
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| The Masters Tournament | T18: 2013 |
| U.S. Open | T4: 2015 |
| The Open Championship | T6: 2017 |
| PGA Championship | 3rd: 2015 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Sunshine Tour Order of Merit winner |
2012 |
Branden John Grace (born on May 20, 1988) is a professional golfer from South Africa. He currently plays for LIV Golf. Before this, he played on the European Tour, the PGA Tour, and the Sunshine Tour.
In 2012, Branden Grace made history. He became the first golfer on the European Tour to win his first four titles in the same year. This was a huge achievement for him.
On July 22, 2017, Grace set another record. He was the first and only golfer to shoot a score lower than 63 in a major championship. He scored a 62 (which is 8 strokes under par) at the Open Championship held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.
Contents
Early Golf Career
Amateur Years
Branden Grace was born in Pretoria, South Africa. When he was an amateur golfer, he was part of the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation. This foundation helps young golfers develop their skills. In 2006, he won the South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship. He then became a professional golfer in 2007.
Starting as a Professional
Grace began his professional career on the Challenge Tour in 2007. This is Europe's second-level golf tour. He played in eight events and finished in the top ten twice. In 2008, he played on both the Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He had three top-10 finishes on the Challenge Tour. He even tied for second place at the Ypsilon Golf Challenge. After this, he earned his card to play on the European Tour in 2009.
In 2009, Grace found it tough on the European Tour. However, he did well on the Sunshine Tour. He tied for second place at the Africa Open, finishing behind Retief Goosen. He ended up in the top 10 in seven of the nine Sunshine Tour events he played. In 2010, he got his first professional win at the Coca-Cola Charity Championship on the Sunshine Tour. By 2011, he was 7th on the Sunshine Tour's Order of Merit. He went back to qualifying school to get his European Tour card for 2012.
Breakthrough Season in 2012
In January 2012, Grace won the Joburg Open. This tournament was part of both the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He won by just one stroke. The very next week, he won the Volvo Golf Champions. This made him the first player since Fred Couples in 1995 to win two tournaments in a row. These wins helped Grace move into the top 100 golfers in the world.
On April 22, Grace won his third European Tour event, the Volvo China Open. Only a few players had won three European Tour titles at a younger age. Grace also became only the third South African to win three times in one season. He was also just the second player in European Tour history to win three times after getting his card from qualifying school.
In September, Grace won his third Sunshine Tour title at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final. On October 7, he won his fourth European Tour title and fifth worldwide title of 2012. This was at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He set a new scoring record for the tournament, finishing 22 strokes under par. This included an amazing round of 60, which tied a European Tour record. Grace finished his successful 2012 season by winning the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.
Later Career Highlights
2013 to 2016
Grace had a slightly less successful year in 2013. His best finish was second place at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. He lost in a sudden-death playoff to Phil Mickelson. In 2014, he continued to perform well on the European Tour. Even though he didn't win any tournaments, he finished 31st in the year-end standings.
In December 2014, Grace won his fifth European Tour event, the Alfred Dunhill Championship. This was his first win since 2012. He won by a large margin of 7 strokes. He followed this up with another win in January 2015 at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. The next month, he won again in South Africa at the Dimension Data Pro-Am on the Sunshine Tour.
At the 2015 U.S. Open, Grace was tied for the lead after 54 holes. On the final day, he was still tied for the lead until the 16th hole. He hit his ball out of bounds, which led to a double bogey. This meant he was no longer in contention to win. He finished tied for 4th place. At the 2015 PGA Championship, Grace finished third. This was his second top-five finish in a major championship.
Grace had a perfect record at the 2015 Presidents Cup. He won all five of his matches. He teamed up with fellow South African Louis Oosthuizen for four of these wins. His perfect 5–0–0 record was a rare achievement in Presidents Cup history.
On January 30, 2016, Grace successfully defended his Commercial Bank Qatar Masters title. This was his seventh win on the European Tour. He became the first player to win this tournament two years in a row. In April 2016, Grace won his first PGA Tour event at the RBC Heritage.
2017 Season
On July 22, 2017, Grace made history at the 2017 Open Championship in England. He shot a round of 62, which is the lowest score ever recorded in a men's major championship.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Grace's score | −1 | −1 | −1 | −2 | −3 | −3 | −3 | −4 | −5 | −5 | −5 | −5 | −5 | −6 | −6 | −7 | −8 | −8 |
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Birdie
In November 2017, Grace won the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa. This victory earned him over $1.1 million.
Recent Years
In January 2019, Grace started working with a new caddie, Craig Connelly. A caddie is someone who carries a golfer's clubs and helps them on the course.
In January 2020, Grace won the South African Open with a final round score of 62. This win was very special for him. He had now won every major golf tournament in South Africa. These included the Joburg Open (2012), Alfred Dunhill Championship (2014), the Dimension Data Pro-Am (2015), and the Nedbank Golf Challenge (2017). The national Open was the last one he needed to win.
In February 2021, Grace won his second PGA Tour event at the Puerto Rico Open. He finished the tournament with an eagle and a birdie on his last two holes. In August 2021, he tied for the lead at the Wyndham Championship after 72 holes. However, Kevin Kisner won the title in a playoff.
Professional Wins (15)
Branden Grace has won 15 professional golf tournaments. These include:
- 2 wins on the PGA Tour
- 9 wins on the European Tour
- 6 wins on the Sunshine Tour
- 1 win on the LIV Golf League
PGA Tour Wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 Apr 2016 | RBC Heritage | −9 (66-74-69-66=275) | 2 strokes |  Luke Donald,  Russell Knox |
| 2 | 28 Feb 2021 | Puerto Rico Open | −19 (67-68-68-66=269) | 1 stroke |  Jhonattan Vegas |
European Tour Wins (9)
| Legend |
|---|
| Rolex Series (1) |
| Other European Tour (8) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Jan 2012 | Joburg Open1 | −17 (67-66-65-72=270) | 1 stroke | Jamie Elson |
| 2 | 22 Jan 2012 | Volvo Golf Champions | −12 (68-66-75-71=280) | Playoff |  Ernie Els, Retief Goosen |
| 3 | 22 Apr 2012 | Volvo China Open2 | −21 (67-67-64-69=267) | 3 strokes |  Nicolas Colsaerts |
| 4 | 7 Oct 2012 | Alfred Dunhill Links Championship | −22 (60-67-69-70=266) | 2 strokes |  Thorbjørn Olesen |
| 5 | 14 Dec 2014 (2015 season) |
Alfred Dunhill Championship1 | −20 (62-66-72-68=268) | 7 strokes | Louis Oosthuizen |
| 6 | 24 Jan 2015 | Commercial Bank Qatar Masters | −19 (67-68-68-66=269) | 1 stroke | Marc Warren |
| 7 | 30 Jan 2016 | Commercial Bank Qatar Masters (2) | −14 (70-67-68-69=274) | 2 strokes |  Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Thorbjørn Olesen |
| 8 | 12 Nov 2017 | Nedbank Golf Challenge | −11 (68-75-68-66=277) | 1 stroke | Scott Jamieson |
| 9 | 12 Jan 2020 | South African Open1 | −21 (64-70-67-62=263) | 3 strokes | Louis Oosthuizen |
1Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour
2Co-sanctioned by the OneAsia Tour
Sunshine Tour Wins (6)
| Legend |
|---|
| Flagship events (1) |
| Other Sunshine Tour (5) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 Nov 2010 | Coca-Cola Charity Championship | −7 (68-71-70=209) | 2 strokes | Ulrich van den Berg, Justin Walters |
| 2 | 15 Jan 2012 | Joburg Open1 | −17 (67-66-65-72=270) | 1 stroke | Jamie Elson |
| 3 | 28 Sep 2012 | Vodacom Origins of Golf Final | −10 (69-72-68=209) | 3 strokes | Allan Versfeld |
| 4 | 14 Dec 2014 | Alfred Dunhill Championship1 | −20 (62-66-72-68=268) | 7 strokes | Louis Oosthuizen |
| 5 | 22 Feb 2015 | Dimension Data Pro-Am | −11 (71-68-69-70=278) | 2 strokes | Keith Horne |
| 6 | 12 Jan 2020 | South African Open1 | −21 (64-70-67-62=263) | 3 strokes | Louis Oosthuizen |
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
LIV Golf League Wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Jul 2022 | LIV Golf Invitational Portland | −13 (69-69-65=203) | 2 strokes |  Carlos Ortiz |
Major Championship Results
Branden Grace has played in many major golf championships. These are the most important tournaments in golf.
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T18 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T27 | T24 | ||||
| U.S. Open | T51 | CUT | T4 | T5 | T50 | T25 | ||||
| The Open Championship | T43 | T77 | T64 | T36 | T20 | T72 | T6 | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T46 | 3 | T4 | CUT | T27 |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T58 | ||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T38 | CUT | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T7 | CUT | |
| The Open Championship | T51 | NT | CUT | CUT |
Top 10 Did not play CUT = missed the half-way cut (did not play all rounds)
"T" = tied (finished with the same score as other players)
NT = No tournament (cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
Summary of Major Results
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 6 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 8 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 38 | 23 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (from the 2016 U.S. Open to the 2017 Open Championship)
Team Appearances
Branden Grace has represented his country and international teams in golf competitions.
- Presidents Cup (representing the International team): 2013, 2015, 2017
- World Cup (representing South Africa): 2013
