New Callaway Staff Professional Branden Grace is taking the European Tour by storm after clinching his second title in a week, the Volvo Golf Champions at Fancourt, South Africa, catapulting him into the World Top 100 and stretching his lead in the Race to Dubai, with over €570,000 of prize-money in under a month!
The ink was hardly dry on Branden’s winner’s cheque from the JoBurg Open – which qualified him for last weekend’s 35-man winners-only Volvo Golf Champions event – before the 23-year-old Qualifying School graduate tasted victory again, following a final day three-way play-off which included his fellow countrymen and Callaway Staff Professional Ernie Els.
South African Grace (23) becomes just the sixth player in history to win their first two European Tour events in back-to-back tournaments. He follows: Graham Marsh (1972, Swiss Open and German Open); Jack Newton (1972, Dutch Open and Benson and Hedges Festival); Charles Coody (1973, W.D and H.O Wills and John Player Classic); Baldovino Dassu (1976, Dunlop Masters and Italian Open) and Fred Couples (1995, Dubai Desert Classic and Johnnie Walker Classic).
Grace said: “I’m ecstatic. It’s a dream to win such a big event. Thanks must go to Callaway, they've stuck with me for quite some time now. They have been great and their equipment is just unbelievable.”
Neil Howie, President of Callaway Golf Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “Back-to-back wins for any golf professional is an amazing feat but for it to be achieved by a player fresh from European Tour Qualifying School is quite incredible.
“Callaway undertakes a huge amount of behind-the-scenes work to support players like Branden and, backed by the introduction of some truly ground-breaking products for 2012, including our first adjustable Driver, RAZR Fit, we are able to give our Staff Professionals every opportunity for success.”
The Volvo Golf Champions week also saw a resurgent performance from Callaway Staff Professional Ernie Els, who was playing key products from the 2012 range, including the RAZR Fit Driver and the soon-to-be-launched Callaway HEX Black Tour Golf Ball.
Howie added: “It’s great to see Ernie in the thick of the action on a Sunday afternoon. 2012 is all about delivering Real Results for our customers, whether they are a star of the Tour or a beginner to the game. If our performance in January is anything to go by, this year is going to be a very special one for Callaway and its customers.
“The feedback we’ve had about the new range has been phenomenal and its performance was also the reason European Tour star, Colin Montgomerie, decided to re-unite with the brand once again. Like everyone who plays Callaway…he wants to win too.”
For Branden Grace, his 2012 European Tour adventure continues…and this latest victory earns him a place in the 2012 WGC - Bridgestone Invitational, WGC - HSBC Champions and 2013 Volvo Golf Champions. He also gains a European Tour exemption until the end of 2014.
Return to Latest golf News