Gregor Graham blown away by 'crazy' reaction to South African Amateur win

Blairgowrie player delighted to ‘finally win big amateur event’ and now chasing more success

New South African Amateur champion Gregor Graham, third left, celebrates his win with Scottish Golf team-mates Matthew Wilson, Jack McDonald, Gregor Tait, James Morgan and Scottish Golf men's performance coach Spencer Henderson at Royal Johannesburg. Picture: Scottish Golf

Gregor Graham, who was heading to a waterpark on Saturday to chill out after making a South African splash on the golf course, admitted he’s been blown away by a “crazy” reaction to becoming Blairgowrie’s latest big title winner in the amateur ranks.

The 20-year-old is the newly-crowned South African Amateur champion after becoming the fifth Scot to land that title since 2011 as he beat home player Jordan Burnand 4&2 in Friday’s 36-hole final at Royal Johannesburg.

“Yeah, it feels great,” Graham told The Scotsman as he savoured his success, having emulated Michael Stewart (2011), Brian Soutar (2012), Daniel Young (2015) and Craig Ross (2016) by winning the GolfRSA event since Scottish Golf squads started to make a winter training trip to South Africa through support from the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation.

“It feels nice to finally win a big amateur event, so I am really happy. There’s so much Scottish history in this event and so many Scottish winners as well. It feels great to win it.

Graham celebrated his success by enjoying a “nice dinner and a few drinks” with fellow Scottish squad members Gregor Tait, James Morgan, Jack McDonald and Matthew Wilson, as well as Spencer Henderson, the Scottish Golf men’s performance coach. “It was a fun night with everyone,” he admitted.

The big Scot had started the trip by finishing second in the Gauteng North Open before also making the top ten in the South African Stroke-Play Championship. He comfortably came through the 36-hole stroke-play qualifying for his latest event and seemed to go from strength to strength as the week progressed.

“I had a tough game in the last 16 (against South African Fabrizo de Abreu),” he said. “It was a proper battle that I won up the last and that sort of gave me confidence going into the last couple of days. That was definitely one of the most important matches of the week.”

Helped by a burst of five birdies in six holes, Graham held a three-hole lead at the halfway stage in the title decider and didn’t let his opponent get any closer than two down before closing the match out.

“It was very important to get my nose in front in the final as that meant I didn’t have to be chasing it. I felt really comfortable all day and I just played my own game,” said the new champion. “I was never focused on him and just played the course and winning those few holes in the middle of the first round settled me down even more.”

What also helped was his historic feat last year in becoming the first amateur to win on the Tartan Pro Tour as he made home advantage count against some seasoned professionals to win the Blairgowrie Perthshire Masters.

“Yeah, 100 per cent,” he said of how important that had been for him. “It helps when you are trying to cross the finishing line as it gives you that confidence you need. This week, I knew I’d been in that position before coming down the stretch and I was definitely a lot more comfortable this time. I was able to just focus on playing my golf instead of worrying about winning or anything I couldn’t control. It definitely helped, yeah.”

Bradley Neil was Blairgowrie’s poster boy when he won the Amateur Championship in 2014, with Connor Graham, Gregor’s younger brother, having also done his bit to put the club on the map over the past couple of years by winning the R&A Junior Open and Scottish Men’s Open, as well as becoming the youngest-ever Walker Cup player and a Junior Ryder Cup team winner.

“He sent me a nice message last night, which was good,” said Graham of his sibling, who had been due to accompany him on the trip to South Africa before suffering a stress fracture in his right hand. “It’s a shame that he wasn’t over here, but it will be good competing against each other once he’s back playing.”

Referring to the general reaction back home to his title triumph, he added: “The support has been absolutely amazing and I can’t thank everyone enough. It’s just crazy the messages I’ve been getting. It’s just insane really. I’m sure there will be something planned for me back at Blairgowrie and it will be great to celebrate with the whole family and have a couple of drinks with everybody. It will be great to see everyone.”

Before then, Graham is hoping to maintain his good form in the GolfRSA International Amateur, formerly the African Amateur, which starts at Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

“No golf today,” he said. “We are actually going to head to a waterpark and chill out there before a practice round tomorrow to get ready for the last event for us out here. My goal is to just keep playing my own game and obviously try and push for another trophy.”

In addition to the South African Amateur, Scots have also tasted success in the past in the African Amateur and Gauteng North Open, with the current crop of players out in the Rainbow Nation appreciative of what is a fantastic opportunity thanks to Johann Rupert and the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation.

“The guys are amazing and it’s been great getting to know them,” said Graham. “We’re all becoming great friends. It’s great having guys here you can practice and play with and Spencer is also great. He’s so professional and such a great coach and helps all of us out so much.”