ST ANDREWS, Scotland: South African Branden Grace completed a two-shot victory in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship yesterday and immediately set his sights on topping the European money list.
It was the fourth win of the season for the 24-year-old European Tour rookie and lifted him into third place in this year’s Race to Dubai.
He is now only 730,000 euros ($953,000) behind leader Rory McIlroy and as he accepted his 617,000 euros winners cheque Grace admitted he has was now focused on the beating the world number to the top honor in European golf.
“I am all for catching Rory,” Grace told reporters after shooting a closing 70. “Someone mentioned the possibility to me a couple of days ago and then I said let’s get this week over with first and I have done that.
“And now I am in third place, first place is definitely in my sights. With a lot of big money events coming up 800,000 is not a lot to make up.”
Furthermore Grace will be playing more events through the rest of the season than the young Ulsterman.
In the week ahead McIlroy will be in Turkey with seven of the world’s other top golfers, including Tiger Woods, chasing a $1.5 million first prize in an exhibition tournament.
Grace will be at the European Tour’s Portugal Masters where pocketing the 600,000 euro prize would make a huge dent in McIlroy’s lead.
Although Grace took a four-shot lead into the fourth round his victory which has lifted him from 265th in the world at the start of the year into the top 40, was not a straightforward procession.
When he dropped shots at the seventh and 11th holes around the Old Course he was caught at the top of the leaderboard by the Dane Thorbjorn Olesen who won this year’s Sicilian Open.
After three-putting the 11th green Grace said he turned to his caddie Zach Razego to help him read the lines of his putts and a run of three birdies from the 12th put him back on the victory trail.
Olesen shot 68 to finish second with the Swedish pair of Alexander Noren and Joel Sjoholm in third and fourth places.
Choi wins his own CJ Invitational event again
In Seoul, South Korea’s K.J. Choi completed an energy-sapping week yesterday with a closing four-under-par 67 to win the CJ Invitational which he hosts for the second successive year.
The Asian Tour honorary member will donate his total winnings of $118,875 to his KJ Choi Foundation, as he did following with his victory 12 months ago.
Choi scored a winning total of 15-under-par 269.
“I’ve always said that this tournament is all about giving back to the community and that’s what I’m going to do with my winnings. I’ll never be where I am today if not for golf and the great support from everyone,” said Choi.
South Korea’s Bae Sang-Moon, who was piling the pressure on Choi until a bogey-six on the 14th hole, had to settle for a share of second place with compatriot Jang Dong-Kyu on 271.
Korea’s Kim Dae-Hyun, who shared the third round lead with Choi, signed for a 71 to take fourth place.
Australia’s Scott Hend and seven-time Asian Tour winner Charlie Wi of Korea took a share of fifth place after they closed with matching 70s for a 274 total.
Thailand’s Chinnarat Phadungsil’s putting touch deserted him on the final day and he finished in seventh place, six shots back of Choi at the $750,000 event which is jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Korean Golf Tour.
After heavy fog seriously delayed play over the last two days, Choi had to return in the morning to complete his remaining nine holes for his third round.
He was still trying to find the rhythm in his game as he marked his inward-nine with one bogey and one birdie.
“I was starting to warm up when I came back in the morning to complete my third round. But once I got through those nine holes, three key elements came back into my game — see, feel and trust,” said Choi.
After taking a 15-minute break between rounds, Choi came out strongly with two birdies in his opening four holes.
He dropped a shot on the ninth but answered back with a hat-trick of birdies starting from the 11th hole.
Choi then parred the rest of his holes coming home to seal his sixth Asian Tour victory.
Grace eyes McIlroy after 4th win
