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VOLVO GOLF CHAMPIONSJanuary 22, 2012Branden GraceGEORGE, SOUTH AFRICA SCOTT CROCKETT: Many, many thanks for coming in and joining us and congratulations, what a fantastic afternoon and fantastic week for you. Give us your thoughts on being Volvo Golf Champion. BRANDEN GRACE: It's been amazing. It's nice to sit here on a Sunday afternoon as I said last week at this time. It's just been phenomenal. My golf has shown that I've been playing good, and, you know, it's just been going my way this week, same as last week. I'm delighted and chuffed to be here. SCOTT CROCKETT: It's difficult sometimes to follow a win with another good performance; a lot of players find it difficult. I realise playing at home with family and friends here helped, but you found something that pushed you on this week. BRANDEN GRACE: I think the confidence played an important role. I really wanted to play here this week. I think you ask any player, a tournament at their home course, they want to do well and they want to perform and they will give it their best. It's just one those things where it's a dream to play here at Fancourt and it's just awesome to have a win here. And to win a tournament of this calibre is really just unbelievable. SCOTT CROCKETT: Not a bad couple of players to beat in that playoff. They have done quite well those two, haven't they. BRANDEN GRACE: I was lying in bed last night reading a couple of articles, and there was 14 Majors behind me, chasing myself and Nicolas. I thought it's a big field and a lot of history, but it's just one of those days that you have to stick with what you're doing and fortunately for me at the end of the day I was here. Just standing on the tee with Ernie and Retief was unbelievable on the playoff. There was a calm about me, the whole playoff hole actually. I think I was more nervous and more pumped up going down the last hole when I walked up the fairway. Just one of those things that knowing I've beaten Ernie and Retief in a playoff, and know that I can do it again. SCOTT CROCKETT: Talk us through the playoff. You did well to recover, you had a chance to win in regulation, but you regained your composure. Talk us through the playoff hole. BRANDEN GRACE: I was first on the tee. I felt really come if I the whole week on the tee shots, and that wasn't any different. I just hit a low little fade going in there and managed to keep it on the fairway. I had a long way. I didn't hit it as good as I hoped but I had a long way into my second. I think it was 272 yards going in with a rescue, and I thought that I'm going to hit a little fade going in there. I actually just thinned it a little. Mis‑hit it a fraction and came out a lot lower than what I was hoping for. One of those things, one of those bounces just goes your way and helped me at the end of the day and managed to skip up there. I thought after Retief‑‑ he had a tough lie in the rough, and I thought maybe a 2‑putt is good enough. The last thing I wanted to do was just chase it by. I knew the putt was pretty quick, but it wasn't as quick as I thought going down the hill. But it's just unbelievable. Q. Two wins on The European Tour‑‑ BRANDEN GRACE: Hopefully it doesn't stop. It's one of those things that I think every player out here, they try to get as many as they can, and it's just one of those things, I think I've just been running with emotion. I'll keep playing and keep playing until I'm exhausted and until I find it's time to take a break. I'm just going to keep going. I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks. I've always looked forward to playing in Dubai and playing in a tournament of that calibre, as well, which is a different thing for me. So going back and making new goals and taking it from there. Q. Many congratulations. What was your immediate thought process after you missed the putt in regulation? Outwardly you looked distraught. How did you pull yourself together? BRANDEN GRACE: When you know you've got a 2‑footer for a 4‑footer, and you know if you make it‑‑ when I missed it, I didn't really think I had a bad putt. I might have slight miss‑read the line a little bit, but I think it's one of those things where you don't want to overdo it. I didn't want to miss it on the high side and I wanted to hit it in. It's one of those things that what I think I did well, is I didn't really realise it was the 18th hole. Just like the playoff, there's another hole waiting. So it's one of those‑‑ Gary Player in his book also had it on the one hole where he's playing and then all of the sudden, he's done. I think it's one of those things where all of a sudden, time to finish. Q. In terms of new goal setting, you've got a two‑year exemption now, it just changes everything for you, doesn't it? BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, definitely. I've got my wins now. I'm definitely not going to stop here. I'm going to keep going on and keep winning as many as I can. I definitely think now one of the goals will definitely be getting into the Top‑50 and taking it from there. I came into the week, I told my coach and Zach and everybody that knows me, I told them, you know, my next goal is to be ready for the Match Play and get into the Top‑64 in the world. I don't know how close I am now or what the situation is, but I think I'm pretty close. So just get on the next couple of weeks and get to that position to where I want to be. Q. Did you see any school friends or schoolteachers in the crowds today? BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, the whole week has been some familiar faces, people from school, teachers, friends from the area. It's been unbelievable; people I've played golf with before. It's been a spectacular week, and just today rounding it off, walking up 18, they were all supporting me. Coming down there with Ernie and Retief, you automatically think it's going to be more for them but there was a lot of support and a lot of cheering on for me. That was an unbelievable feeling. But a lot of my school friends came out that I had not seen in a long time, so that's been unbelievable. It's really awesome them coming out and supporting. Q. Did you notice them before the end? BRANDEN GRACE: Well, obviously when you walk through the tee boxes to the fairways, they circle the tee boxes. I don't really think you can miss them. But it's nice. It really put a smile on my face every time I saw one of them and just gives you a little bit more relaxation. Q. You finished top amateur in the SA Open at 17; are you surprised it's taken you six years to get to this level, or do you feel that you've learnt a lot over that time? BRANDEN GRACE: Obviously the earlier, the better. Obviously I would have preferred being in this position a lot earlier in my career. But I've learned the hard way.  I've been on Tour and lost my card and I managed to get it back. I've learned through the things I've done wrong in the past. My dad and my management company, they have told me that ‑‑ they say the best thing is going backwards before going forwards and achieving great things. I've learned my lesson. I think I am a better player than what I was then; I know it for a fact. It's just nice being in this position that I can go forward and focus on the things to come. Q. You're going to move to roundabout 80th with this win in the rankings. Any hopes of making it to the Masters? BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, definitely. The next couple of weeks is one of those things where anything can happen. I just hope my game stays the way it is. I hope my energy levels stay up. I know for a fact I'll definitely take it easy the next couple of days, go out and play the Pro‑Am in Abu Dhabi and take it from there. Getting into the Top‑50, I think is every player out there's goal. To get into a Major would be an unbelievable year if I could achieve that to get into the Masters. It would just be a highlight; undescribable. Q. Nicolas missing that short putt, you must have ‑‑ inaudible. BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, it was a bit unlucky on 18. One of those things that you're not going to hope it on a player. It could have been me in that situation. It's just one of those things, you hit a good approach shot to 18, and a bit of a pity it went long. But nothing you can do. I could have made the putt; I could have gone through everybody. It's just the game of golf. SCOTT CROCKETT: BRANDEN, many congratulations and very well done. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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