Gregor Graham sets up chance to add to Scottish success in South African Amateur

Blairgowrie player produces classy displays to reach final at Royal Johannesburg

Blairgowrie's Gregor Graham pictured in action during Scottish Golf's trip to South Africa that has been funded through the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation. Picture: GolfRSA

Blairgowrie’s Gregor Graham is tantalisingly close to becoming the fifth Scot to be crowned as the South African Amateur champion in the past 14 years.

Graham, the big brother of Walker Cup history-maker Connor, is through to Friday’s 36-hole final in this year’s edition at Royal Johannesburg after pulling off two brilliant wins.

In the quarter-finals on Thursday morning, Graham produced an eagle and seven birdies as he beat Dutchman Jack Ingham 2&1. He then found himself two down early on to home player Pearce Lewin in the afternoon semi-finals before producing some brilliant golf to turn that tie around.

Graham won the sixth with a birdie, eighth with an eagle and ninth with a birdie to get his nose in front at the turn. He then went two up with a birdie-2 at the 12th before increasing his advantage once more with a birdie at the 15th before going on to close out an impressive 4&2 victory.

His opponent in the final will be Ebotse Golf & Country Estate’s Jordan Burnand, who came from behind to beat leading qualifier Benjamin Weber 5&3 in an all-South African affair in the other last-four match.

Graham, who created history last year as the first amateur to win on the Tartan Pro Tour, is bidding to add to Scotland’s success story over the past decade or so in the GolfRSA event.

Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) sparked it when he landed the title in 2011, with the feat then being emulated the following year by Leven’s Brian Soutar before Craigie Hill’s Daniel Young and Kirkhill’s Craig Ross also pulled off back-to-back wins in 2015 and 2016.

On a Scottish Golf trip that is being funded by the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation, Graham has already finished second in the Gauteng North Open and also made the top ten in the South African Stroke-Play Championship.

His brother Connor, who became the youngest-ever player to compete in the Walker Cup in last year’s match at St Andrews, had also been due to make the trip before suffering an injury just before the group headed out to South Africa.