Gregor Graham adds to Scottish success story in South African Amateur

Blairgowrie player produces birdie barrage to claim title triumph at Royal Johannesburg

Blairgowrie's Gregor Graham shows off the South African Amateur Championship trophy after his win at Royal Johannesburg. Picture: GolfRSA

Gregor Graham became the fifth Scot to be crowned as South African Amateur champion since 2011 after producing a barrage of birdies to beat home hope Jordan Burnand in the 36-hole final at Royal Johannesburg.

The Blairgowrie player emulated compatriots Michael Stewart (2011), Brian Soutar (2012), Daniel Young (2015) and Craig Ross (2016) as he claimed victory in the GolfRSA event with a hard-fought 4&2 triumph just outside Johannesburg.

It’s the biggest win on Graham’s career, though, in saying that, he created history last year by becoming the first amateur to taste success on Paul Lawrie’s Tartan Pro Tour as he made home advantage count in the Blairgowrie Perthshire Masters.

Blairgowrie's Gregor Graham is the fifth Scottish player to land the South African Amateur Championship since 2011. Picture: GolfRSA

As was the case with Stewart, Soutar, Young and Ross, Graham is in South Africa as part of a Scottish Golf squad on a trip that has been made possible through support from the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation.

Graham had already finished second in the Gauteng North Open at The Els Club in Centurion and also made the top ten in the South African Stroke-Play Championship at Mount Edgecombe in Durban.

Now, with his golf-mad family, including younger brother and fellow Scottish international Connor, following every hole back home, the 20-year-old has seen some great golf rewarded in an event that was first held in 1892. Other winners over the years include Bobby Locke, Hugh Baiocchi, Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, George Coetzee, Laurie Canter and Thriston Lawrence.

With Gregor Tait caddying for him and other fellow squad members James Morgan, Jack McDonald and Matthew Wilson as well as Scottish Golf men’s performance coach Spencer Henderson cheering him on, Graham got off to the start he was looking for by winning the second hole with a par 3 after the opening hole had been shared in birdies.

The Scot then found himself trailing as Burnand, who’d beaten leading qualifier and compatriot Benjamin Weber in the semi-finals, hit back to take the third and fifth, both with birdies.

But, helped by making five birdies in the next six holes and winning four of them, Graham put himself in the driving seat and then found himself 5 up after also taking both the 13th and 15th with birdie-3s.

Burnand was then handed a timely boost as he got two holes back before the halfway point and Graham still had a fight on his hands when the Ebotse Golf & Country Estate player got it back to just 2 down early in the second circuit.

A couple of holes were then shared around the turn before a brilliant birdie-2 from Graham at the 30th hole in the contest gave him some breathing space as he went on to close the door on his stuffy opponent.

Graham made nine birdies in the opening round and 14 in total, with a double-bogey 5 at the 16th in the first circuit being his only blemish on the day.

The Graham brothers are a talented duo, with teenager Connor making history in last year’s Walker Cup at St Andrews as the youngest player to compete in the biennial match between Great Britain & Ireland. He was also unbeaten in Europe’s Junior Ryder Cup win in Rome.

Connor had been due to join his big brother on the South African trip only to be left kicking his heels at home due to suffering an untimely stress fracture in his right hand.