Branden Grace

Exempt status

• PGA TOUR: Top 125 in 2018-19 FedExCup standings (thru 2019-20)

JOINED TOUR

• PGA TOUR: 2015

PGA TOUR Victories (1)

• 2016 RBC Heritage

International Victories (12)

• 2010 Coca-Cola Charity Championship [SAf]
• 2012 Joburg Open [Eur]
• 2012 Volvo Golf Champions [Eur]
• 2012 Volvo China Open [Eur]
• 2012 Vodacom Origins Final [SAf]
• 2014 Alfred Dunhill Championship [Eur]
• 2012 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship [Eur]
• 2015 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters [Eur]
• 2015 Dimension Data Pro-Am [Saf]
• 2016 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters [Eur]
• 2017 Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player [Eur]
• 2020 South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg

National Teams

• 2013, 2015, 2017 Presidents Cup
• 2013 World Cup

Personal

• A graduate of the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation, which recognizes and helps nurture the careers of young golfers.
• Grew up idolizing Tiger Woods.
• Played rugby, cricket and field hockey growing up, but decided to focus on golf when he turned 15.
• The best golf tip he's ever received is to just "keep it simple."
• He is a patron of the South African Disabled Golf Association.

Special Interests

• Water sports, movies

CURRENT YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

• South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg: Claimed his ninth European Tour title with a three-stroke victory over defending champion Louis Oosthuizen at Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg, South Africa. Only needed 22 putts in the final round en route to a closing 62. Secured a spot in The 149th Open Championship at Royal St. Georges with the win.

Career Highlights

2020 Season

• South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg: Claimed his ninth European Tour title with a three-stroke victory over defending champion Louis Oosthuizen at Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg, South Africa. Only needed 22 putts in the final round en route to a closing 62. Secured a spot in The 149th Open Championship at Royal St. Georges with the win.

2019 Season

Ended the season No. 77 in the FedExCup standings after qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Made 16 cuts in 22 starts, with two top-10s.

• World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play: Advanced out of Group Play into the Round of 16 at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, losing to Sergio Garcia, 1-up, for a T9 finish.
• Waste Management Phoenix Open: At 15-under 269, earned a runner-up result at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Finished two strokes back of champion Rickie Fowler in tournament debut. Led the field in scoring on the par-3s (6-under) and par-5s (12-under). Recorded best finish on TOUR since winning the 2016 RBC Heritage.

2018 Season

Advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs for the third consecutive season, but with a missed cut at THE NORTHERN TRUST and a T43 at the Dell Technologies Championship, ended his season at No. 88 in the FedExCup. Made 16 cuts in 18 starts in a season that included seven top-25s and two top-10s.

• AT&T Byron Nelson: In his inaugural start at the AT&T Byron Nelson, recorded a 9-under 62 in the final round to finish T3. The 62 came on his 30th birthday and tied his career-low on TOUR (2017 The Open Championship; lower than any previous score in a major). Made a nine-foot putt for par on the last hole and needed 22 putts in his final round. Closed out the round 5-under in his last five holes (eagle/No. 14, birdies/Nos. 15-17, par/No.18).
• Valspar Championship: Finished in a four-way tie for eighth place at the Valspar Championship in his third start at the event (T8/2018, T37/2016, MC/2014).

2017 Season

Advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs and missed the cut in the opening event, THE NORTHERN TRUST, to fall to No. 99 and sneak into the second event. Made 16 cuts in 20 starts, posting two top-10 results, including a season-best T6 at The Open Championship, where he set a new major championship 18-hole scoring record with a 62 in the third round at Royal Birkdale.

• Nedbank Challenge hosted by Gary Player: Produced a stunning closing-round 66 to win an eighth European Tour title and delight the home fans at the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player. Seventh Rolex Series event of the European Tour season brought an elite field to Gary Player Country Club. Tied for the lead with Victor Dubuisson and Scott Jamieson with four holes to play, holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th to move to 11-under, where he stayed to earn a one-shot victory over Jamieson. Hit all 18 greens in regulation in the final round as he moved alongside Louis Oosthuizen into a tie for fourth on the list of all-time South African European Tour winners, behind only Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Charl Schwartzel.
• Presidents Cup: After pairing with fellow South African Louis Oosthuizen and going unbeaten at the 2015 Presidents Cup in South Korea, again paired with Oosthuizen at the 2017 Presidents Cup to defeat Daniel Berger/Brooks Koepka 3 and 1 in the day one Foursomes match. Remained paired with Oosthuizen for losses in the next two matches before being split up and paired with Marc Leishman for a 3-and-2 loss to Brooks Koepka/Dustin Johnson in Saturday afternoon Four-ball match. Halved Sunday singles match with Dustin Johnson for a 1-2-2 record at Liberty National in his third Presidents Cup competition for the International Team.
• The Open Championship: Followed up a third-round 8-under 62 (the lowest round ever recorded in a major championship) with a final-round even-par 70 to finish T6 at The Open Championship. Finished eight strokes behind Jordan Spieth. Prior to his finish at Royal Birkdale, a T20 in 2015 at St. Andrews marked his best finish of six previous Open Championship starts.
• BMW PGA Championship: Earned his first top-10 of the European Tour season with a T9 at the BMW PGA Championship.
• Valero Texas Open: With a 6-under 66, held a one-stroke lead after 18 holes of the Valero Texas Open. Ensuing rounds of 73-70-73 at TPC San Antonio resulted in a T10 finish at 6-under 282 with Bud Cauley and Camilo Villegas.

2016 Season

Advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs in his first season as an official PGA TOUR member, thanks to six top-10 finishes, including his first victory at the RBC Heritage, in 15 starts in the regular PGA TOUR season. Kept himself alive through the first three Playoffs events, before ending his season after the BMW Championship at No. 41 in the FedExCup standings.

• Deutsche Bank Championship: A T25 at the Dell Technologies Championship wasn't enough to move him into the top 70. He ended the season at No. 80 in the FedExCup.
• PGA Championship: Following a third-place finish in last year's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, posted a 3-under 67 in the final round at Baltusrol GC to claim a share of fourth place with Hideki Matsuyama and Brooks Koepka in the season's final major championship. The finish marked his 10th top-10 showing on the PGA TOUR and fifth of the season. It was his fourth top-10 finish in 19 major championship starts.
• World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational: Final-round 68 earned T10 finish at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, his third top-10 at a World Golf Championships event (T9/2015 Dell Match Play, T5/2015 HSBC Champions).
• U.S. Open: Next top-10 came two starts later at Oakmont Country Club, finishing T5 (and four strokes behind champion Dustin Johnson) in his fourth U.S. Open start (2012-T51, 2013-MC, 2015-T4, 2016-T5). The T5 finish was his fourth top-10, equaling his career-high mark from the 2014-15 season.
• Valero Texas Open: A week later in his third start at the Valero Texas Open, jumped 20 spots up the leaderboard with a final-round 67 to finish at 8-under 280 and T9 with three others.
• RBC Heritage: Captured his first PGA TOUR victory at the RBC Heritage, carding a final-round 5-under 66 and coming from three strokes back to win by one stroke over Scotland's Russell Knox and England's Luke Donald. Began the week sharing the first-round lead with Luke Donald at 5-under 66. The win came in his 51st PGA TOUR start at the age of 27 years, 10 months and 28 days. It marked just his second start at the RBC Heritage, having finished T7 in 2015 via a sponsor's exemption from the tournament. Continues to find Harbour Town Golf Links to his liking, as he has just one round over par (74/R2/2016) in his eight trips around the course. With the victory, became the 11th first-time winner of the RBC Heritage and the first since Boo Weekley in 2007. In addition, became the 10th international winner this season and 11th to win the RBC Heritage, joining Graeme McDowell (2013), Carl Pettersson (2012), Aaron Baddeley (2006), Peter Lonard (2005), Jose Coceres (2001), Nick Price (1997), Greg Norman (1988), Bernhard Langer (1985), Nick Faldo (1984) and Graham Marsh (1977). Was the only player during the week to reach double-figures under-par, making pivotal birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 to move to 10-under and a three-stroke cushion. Despite a bogey on the par-3 17th hole, parred the famed 18th hole to record the victory. At No. 14 in the Official World Golf Ranking, was the second-highest ranked player in the field.
• Commercial Bank Qatar Masters: Battling windy conditions up to 35 mph on the weekend, dropped just one shot over his final 51 holes en route to a two-stroke victory over Thorbjorn Olesen and Rafa Cabrera Bello at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, becoming the first player to win the event in back-to-back seasons. Entered the final round trailing two-time champion Paul Lawrie by two strokes, but with Lawrie struggling to a final-round 78, his 69 on the final day (one of just four sub-70 rounds in the final round) led to the two-stroke victory and his seventh European Tour title.
• World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions: Held the first-round lead at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions after a bogey-free, PGA TOUR career-low 63. Started the second round with a two-stroke advantage and fell behind after a 71 Friday. Carded 70-68 over the weekend, resulting in a T5.
• CIMB Classic: Recorded rounds of 67-70-69-67 to finish T17 at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, his first start of the season.

2015 Season

Made 11 of 13 PGA TOUR cuts, with four top-10s as a non-member. Earned Special Temporary Membership during the season and parlayed that into a top-125 finish on the FedExCup points' list as a non-member. That earned him PGA TOUR membership for the 2015-16 season.

• Presidents Cup: Went 5-0-0 in his five Presidents Cup matches in the American team's 15½-14½ victory in South Korea.
• PGA Championship: Thanks to an 8-under 64 in the third round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, finished third at the season's final major championship. The top-five finish in Wisconsin, accompanied by his T4 at the U.S. Open, marked his two top-10 finishes in 15 major starts.
• U.S. Open: Entered the final round of the U.S. Open in a four-way tie for the lead before a 1-over 71 dropped him to a T4 finish, just two strokes behind champion Jordan Spieth. Had been a perfect six for six when carrying the lead/co-lead into the final round on the European Tour. It marked his best finish in three U.S. Open starts (T51 in 2012 and a missed cut in 2013). His previous-best finish in 12 previous major championship appearances was T18 at the 2013 Masters Tournament. His caddie at Chambers Bay was Zack Rasego, caddie for Louis Oosthuizen when he won the 2010 Open Championship. Earned enough non-member FedExCup points at the event to accept Special Temporary Membership for the remainder of the season and joined the TOUR a week later.
• World Golf Championships-Cadillac Match Play: Came back two weeks later in his next start to finish T9 at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Match Play.
• RBC Heritage: Finished T7 at the RBC Heritage for his first top 10 on the PGA TOUR in his 35th start.

2014 Season

• Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship: Missed the cut in the first two events of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in his bid to earn membership on the PGA TOUR. Finished T46 in the third event and did not play in the final event, the Web.com Tour Championship.
• Volvo Golf Champions: Opened with a disappointing, 2-over 74 at the Volvo Golf Champions in mid-January but recovered nicely, shooting rounds of 67-68-68 over his final 54 holes only to come up a stroke short of Louis Oosthuizen at Durban CC in Durban, South Africa.
• DP World Tour Championship: Had four par-or-better rounds at the European Tour's season-ending DP World Tour Championship in November to T9 with Joost Luiten and Rafael Cabrera-Bello.

2013 Season

Played in all three World Golf Championships events and all four majors.

• The Nelson Mandela Championship presented presented by ISPS Handa: At the weather-shortened Nelson Mandela Championship in mid-December, finished T6 at Mount Edegcombe CC after opening with a 6-under 64 to begin the tournament.
• ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf: Late in the season, joined with fellow South African George Coetzee to finish sixth at the ISPS Handa World Cup at Royal Melbourne GC in Australia. In the individual competition, finished T20 with four others, including Coetzee.
• Presidents Cup: In his initial Presidents Cup appearance, went winless in his four matches for the International squad.
• Aberdeen Assest Management Scottish Open: Shot rounds of 71-65-66-69 to get into a playoff with Phil Mickelson at the Scottish Open in July. Couldn't match Mickelson's birdie on the first extra hole and settled for a second-place finish, his best effort since winning the 2012 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
• Volvo World Match Play Championship: Earned a spot in the semifinals in mid-May at the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria. Dropped a 3-and-2 decision to eventual champion Graeme McDowell at Thracian Cliffs Golf and Beach Resort. Other match victories came against Nicolas Colsaerts, Brett Rumford and Chris Wood.
• Masters Tournament: Best major championship performance was a T18 at the Masters Tournament.
• World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship: Was T49 at the Cadillac Championship.
• World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship: Lost in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship (T33).
• Commercial Bank Qatar Masters: The following week at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, was T6 at Doha GC. Eagled the 10th hole in the final round but saw his chances at victory end when he made bogeys on Nos. 11 and 16.
• ABU Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship: Made a Sunday charge at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship a week later, turning in a 10-birdie performance on Sunday at Abu Dhabi GC. Opened the final round with a birdie then had two bogeys, on Nos. 2 and 3. Added three more birdies on the front nine then had six more birdies against one bogey–including four in a row to end the tournament–to finish solo fifth, five shots behind winner Jamie Donaldson.
• Volvo Golf Champions: Recovered from an opening, 3-over 75 at the European Tour's Volvo Golf Champions to shoot three consecutive sub-par rounds to T7 at Durban CC in mid-January.

2012 Season

After earning his playing privileges on the European Tour through the Qualifying Tournament, he made the most of his opportunity playing in his native South Africa in co-sanctioned European Tour-Sunshine Tour tournaments in mid-January. Made six official PGA TOUR appearances, including playing in three of the four major championships and in two official World Golf Championships events plus the HSBC Champions.

• DP World Tour Championship: Finished the season in strong fashion, at the European Tour's DP World Tour Championship. Put himself in contention with a second-round 65 at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Settled for a sixth-place showing in Dubai and a sixth-place finish in the final Race to Dubai rankings.
• Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: A week later, on the European Tour, at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, he won in his second consecutive start, his fifth title of the season. Edged Thorbjorn Olesen at the three-course tournament held at St. Andrews' Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns GL. Opened with a career-low 60 at Kingsbarns. Shot a 7-under 29 on the front nine then added three birdies and an eagle on the back nine. Needed a birdie on the 18th hole to shoot a 59 but settled for a par. Entered the final round with a healthy four-shot lead over Olesen, shot a Sunday 70 at St. Andrews and won by two strokes.
• Vodacom Origins of Golf Event Final: Won his fourth title of the campaign when he shot a 10-under 209 in the 54-hole Vodacom Origins Final on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. He defeated Allan Versfield by three strokes at the Links at Fancourt.
• U.S. Open: Top major performance was a T51 at the U.S. Open.
• the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance: Top TOUR finish of the campaign was a T25 at the Memorial Tournament.
• BMW PGA Championship: Finished solo-fifth at the BMW PGA Championship in May, eight strokes behind winner Luke Donald in England.
• Volvo China Open: In winning the Volvo China Open in April, his third victory of the campaign, he became just the second player to emerge from the European Tour's qualifying tournament and then go on to win three times that season (Johan Edfors in 2006). The 23-year-old also became the third-youngest player in Tour history to win a trio of tournaments in a season (Seve Ballesteros, three times between 1977 and 1980; Sandy Lyle, 1979). Took control of the tournament with a third-round, 8-under 64 to take a three-shot lead into the final round. Never led by less than two strokes over the final 18 holes and won by three over Colsaerts. Was one of three players in the field to fire four rounds in the 60s at Binhai GC in Tianjin (67-67-64-69).
• World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship: Added a T35 at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.
• Volvo Golf Champions: A week later, at the Volvo Golf Champions at The Links at Fancourt, he moved to a four-stroke lead through 36 holes. In the third round, he struggled to a 2-over 75 to fall into a tie for the lead with Nicolas Colsaerts. On Sunday, he carved out a 2-under 71 that was good enough to get him into a playoff with Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. On the first extra hole, the par-5 18th, he made a two-putt birdie to Els' and Goosen's pars to win for the second time and move into the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking (No. 92).
• Joburg Open: Took a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Joburg Open, shot a Sunday 71 and held off Jamie Elson to win by a stroke.

2011 Season

Had five top-10 finishes on the Sunshine Tour to finish seventh on the Order of Merit. Also had 19 starts on the Sunshine Tour's Challenge Tour. Earned the Gary Player Trophy for having the lowest stroke average (69.41) on the Sunshine Tour. Made two European Tour starts, missing one cut and finishing T10 in the other.

• Acaya Open 2011: Was T2 at the Acaya Open, two strokes behind winner Jamie Moul.
• Madeira Island Open: Was T10 at the Madeira Island Open.
• Barclays Kenya Open: Was also T3 at the Barclays Kenya Open.
• Telkom PGA Championship: His best performance came via a T3 at the Telkom PGA Championship. Had four rounds in the 60s. Opened with rounds of 65-64 to share the 36-hole lead with George Coetzee. Came back on the weekend with a 67-69 finish four strokes back of Coetzee.

2010 Season

• Coca-Cola Charity Championship: In 11 Sunshine Tour starts, he picked up his first victory, at the Coca-Cola Championship. Despite three bogeys in his final round, he hung on to defeat Ulrich van den Berg and Justin Walters by two strokes in the 54-hole event.
• Nashua Masters: At the Nashua Masters, he again took a share of the lead to Sunday. Was tied with Warren Abery, shot a final-round 71 and finished two strokes behind Abery.
• Turkish Airlines Challenge: Splitting time between the European Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour Challenge Tour, his lone top-10 was a T4 at the Turkish Airlines Challenge in May.
• Dimension Data Pro-Am: At the Dimension Data Pro-Am, he began the final round tied for the lead with Darren Fichardt. Shot a 73 on the final day to T4.
• Africa Open: Had three other top-10s. First came at the season-opener, the Africa Open, where he T8.

2009 Season

• The Open Championship: Made his first major championship appearance and found his way to the weekend finishing T43 at The Open Championship.
• Telkom PGA Championship: Was also T6 at the Telkom PGA Championship.
• Nashua Masters: Made a run at another victory, at the Nashua Masters. Tied for 15th when the final round began, he shot a 62 to move into a T3, five strokes behind Darren Fichardt.
• Africa Open: Was runner-up at thje Africa Open, after rounds of 69-68-66-65 left him a stroke behind winner Retief Goosen

2008 Season

Made 10 cuts in 22 European Tour starts, with his best showing a T16 at the Volvo China Open.

• South African Open Championship: T6 at the South African Open Championship.
• Ypsilon Golf Challenge by Alex Cejka: Top Challenge Tour performance was a T2 at the Ypsilon Golf Challenge, with four rounds in the 60s–including a Sunday 64 that got him into a playoff with Seve Benson and Rafael Cabrera Bello, an overtime session Benson won.

Amateur Highlights

• In 2006 he won the South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship, a victory that earned him invitation to play in the 2007 South African Airways Open.
• In the 2007 South African Airways Open, he finished as the second-low amateur.