Grace aiming to make first time ‘memorable’ in Macau

Anirban Lahiri

Rising South African golfer Branden Grace was recently confirmed to be on the list of players for the upcoming Venetian Macao Open.
The 28-year-old has had a solid season with two tournament wins and two top-five finishes at Majors, bringing his world ranking up by  over 100 places to the current 13th position.
Excited for his inaugural visit to the region and his upcoming play at the Venetian Macao Open, Grace hopes to make this Macau trip one to remember.
“It’s my first time in Macau and I hope for it to be a memorable one,” he said, adding that he has been following the tournament and its growth over the past years.
“I’ve watched the tournament a few times over the years. It has grown tremendously and now it’s on the biggest tops on the Asian tour, which is great and I was told that anytime I had a chance to go there I should go and I’m excited to see what it is all about. I’ve done some research about it and it looks great,” Grace said.
The golfer, who has had his best season in his career so far, hopes to bring the same form to Macau in order to battle his way to the top.
“It’s been a great year, it’s my first season out on the PGA Tour and it’s been phenomenal. I’ve played some good golf and obviously getting my first victory was very special and it gave me some confidence. I’ll be looking to bring my form into Macau. I’m excited to see where my golf is going, and to see what I can do in the future,” Grace added.

Branden Grace

Grace said two-times champion Scott Hend will be one of his biggest opponents during the tournament, saying that he will be the “tougher” man to beat.
“I’ve played with Scott a couple of times and everybody knows he is a great player, and how far he hits the golf ball. Obviously he’ll be a tough competitor.”
Despite facing the likes of Hend and Darren Clarke, among others, he intends to “make sure I am ready, keep performing well and hopefully continue to climb the rankings.”
At the same time, the organizers have confirmed  Indian star Anirban Lahiri as the other Asian competitor. Lahiri has been the winner of the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit in 2015 and has been Hend’s biggest rival over the last three years.
Lahiri came in second by a three-stroke margin in 2013, and turned the tables in 2014 by winning the title over Hend by one stroke. Hend won the title back last year, with Lahiri as the runner-up.  RM

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