Joburg Open: Grace's dream comes true.

After the final round of the Joburg Open, which offered a purse of 1,3 million euro, Grace's scorecard reflected a solid 72 strokes. It was a good result, but not one to deliver victory under normal circumstances. However, Grace profited from his strong showing in the three previous rounds – and the errors of his primary opponents. He had finished the opening day on 67 strokes, improving by one on the second.

As his rivals in the tightly-packed field increasingly fell by the wayside on the final day, Grace maintained his advantage through to the end by concentrating on accurate play. On the back nine he played to par, with the only deviations being a birdie and a bogey. England’s Jamie Elson certainly played more spectacularly on his way to second place, scoring an unbelievable 63 on the final day thanks to a 10-metre eagle putt on the 18th. Defending champion Charl Schwartzel lost all hope of a third consecutive title when he failed to make the cut.

"To win at home is a dream come true which I would not swap for anything," said Grace, who only qualified for the European Tour in December. He had been active on the Sunshine Tour since 2007 as co-organiser of the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club’s tournament, providing even greater reason to vent his joy.

Equally unexpected spirits accompanied Johnson Wagner’s victory in the Sony Open in Hawaii despite the usually introvert player being on course for victory. Around ten kilograms lighter after the winter break, the Texan approached the first PGA Tour event of the year in a confident frame of mind despite the full field. "On New Year's Eve I predicted I would win," said the 31-year-old outsider after his victory by two strokes – a total of 13 under par.

Whether this performance by Wagner, who to date contested just four Major Tournaments, was due to his newly-grown moustache, could not be confirmed. His wife is not, thought, amused by the beard. "All the more reason to keep it, then," the US American joked. "I bet myself: If I make it to the Masters in Augusta, it stays." Bad news, thus, for Katie Wagner.