GOLF CHALLENGE
Branden takes all in Sun City coup de grace
Branden Grace ended a decade-long drought of South African winners of the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City on Sunday. Gary Player jumped out of his chair and hugged him. A shower of champagne was followed by a shower of rain. All that was missing was the rainbow. But Grace already had the pot of gold. Grace produced what Player called a "stroke of genius" when he rolled in an almost 50-foot birdie putt on the par-three 16th to break free of a tie with Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and take a one-stroke lead into the closing holes. He finished with 66 to win on 11 under par, taking home $1.25m, with Jamieson raking in second on 10 under. That putt defined his tournament, and that it occurred on a 16th hole that has enabled some of the most dramatic victories in the history of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, hosted by Player, made it that much sweeter. Minutes before Grace made his crucial birdie putt, Jamieson nearly chipped in for birdie from the right greenside rough, with his ball lippi...
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