RBC Heritage Review

19 Apr

Big congrats to Branden Grace who won his first PGA TOUR title at Hilton Head this weekend. That’s an impressive eight wins across the PGA and European Tours this season from South African golfers!

As many people will know, Branden was once a member of The Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, which was established in 1999 and uses education to change lives for the better and also helps young South African golfing talent to flourish.

Everything that we do at the Foundation is made possible due to the backing and support of some key individuals and companies. With that in mind, I want to give thanks to them – in particular to Dr. Hasso Plattner and the Foundation’s CEO Hannes Van Niekerk, to everyone else on the Board of Directors and Linda Willers on the admin side. Then, of course, there are our generous commercial partners SAP, Adams Golf, Airlink, Bel-Essex Corporation, Imperial Ford & Mazda, Old Mutual, Plastomark (PTY) Ltd, and the R&A. We are also lucky to have some great friends and partners who support the Invitational event. In fact, Branden won the event this past December and said some really nice words about his experience in the Foundation. He is a great ambassador for the current members to look up to.

The benefits of what they all bring to our Foundation is evident in every one of our members who works hard, gets a good education and goes on to lead a productive and fulfilling life, just as it is in the success of Branden and other former members like Louis Oosthuizen. And while winning tournaments is important for these guys as individuals, it is also hugely inspiring and motivating for our current members. I’ve said it before, but it shows that with talent and hard work you can achieve your dreams. However, you also need the opportunities and that, in a nutshell, is what our Foundation is all about.

Anyway, back to the golf tournament. Obviously, Branden really got the job done in style with that superb 66 on Sunday afternoon. That was the final round number for me, too, which capped an excellent bounce-back performance after the disappointment of missing the cut at Augusta. More than that, though, it confirmed what I’ve been saying for several months now; that my game is right there and that I need to keep doing what I’m doing and the results will come. Sometimes in this game you just have to be very patient!

I’d have to say that undoubtedly the most satisfying part of my game at Hilton Head was my putting, finishing the week third in the ‘strokes gained putting’ category, my strongest performance on the greens in probably a couple of seasons. As with all aspects of my game I am constantly striving to improve and this is a great boost for me heading into this week’s Valero Texas Open. I’m paired with Matt Jones and Scott Stallings in the first two rounds, teeing off at 7.50am on Thursday and 1.00pm on Friday.

This historic tournament goes all the way back to the days of Walter Hagen, and is the third oldest on the PGA TOUR. It was a missed cut last time out in 2014, but in my only other previous appearance in 2010 I had a strong weekend and finished third just a couple of shots behind the winner Adam Scott. That was the first year any of us had played the new Oaks course at TPC San Antonio. This tournament has a great sponsor in Valero and, as with so many tournaments these days, a wonderful charitable ethos. In fact, since Valero became the title sponsor in 2002 over $100 million has been raised for charity.

Talking of great sponsors and charitable causes, I just want to reflect again on last week’s RBC Heritage and thank everyone at RBC, Boeing and Hilton Head who embraced our traditional ‘Blue Out’ day on Thursday in support of Autism Awareness Month and also wore the blue-and-white ribbon of Els for Autism. So many of the media, players (including champion Branden Grace, pictured below), caddies, fans and tournament officials jumped on board, which is wonderful to see.

That’s it for now. Follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC - APRIL 14: Branden Grace of South Africa tees off on the 15th hole during the first round of the 2016 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links on April 14, 2016 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

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