Luke Donald figured he’d have to shoot 67 or 68 to win on Sunday at the RBC Heritage.
He was exactly right. He didn’t and Branden Grace stepped up to take his first-ever PGA Tour victory.
Grace, who has seven European Tour victories, shot a closing 66 and finished nine-under par, two better than Donald and Russell Knox.
Donald, who could do no better than even par 71, finished runner-up in the event for the fourth time.
Grace, who missed the cut at the Masters last week, painted a difference picture at the Harbour Town Golf Links. “Just the putts,” he cited as the main difference. He got off to a fast start with birdies on the first two holes and went on to shoot four-under on the front to turn at eight-under, tied with Donald.
Donald lost the lead with a bogey at 10 and was never able to catch Grace. Birdies at 12 and 13 got Grace to 10-under and at that point, he knew things were going his way. “When I got to 12 and 13 and got a couple of putts, I knew I had a chance.” He played steady from that point on and only a bogey at the par three 17th left any kind of opening for Donald, who failed to capitalize.
“I’m grateful to be in this position,” Grace said of his inaugural tour win.
Bryson DeChambeau made a run up the leader board with a closing 68 that earned him a tie for fourth and a big check for $259,600 in his first event as a pro. More important for the newcomer, he won’t have to use an exemption for this coming week’s Valero Texas Open. The finish in the top 10 gets him in automatically.
