RBC: Grace gets first PGA Tour victory

Branden Grace, a South African who made his formal introduction to America at the U.S. Open last summer, became a first-time PGA Tour winner on Sunday in the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C.

Grace, 27, equaled the best round of the day, a five-under par 66, to erase the three-shot deficit with which he began and won by two over 54-hole leader Luke Donald and Russell Knox.

“This put me on the map a little bit last year,” Grace, who tied for second at the RBC in 2015. “Finished in the top 10 and gave me that little push and drive to finish things up in the future. And I was really anxious to get back to this place. I have fond memories.”

Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau closed with a three-under par 68 and tied for fourth in his professional debut.

Grace’s victory should not be considered an upset. He was 14th in the World Ranking coming into the tournament. He was in contention late in the last round at the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay and finished tied for fourth. Later in the summer, he finished third in the PGA Championship.

Grace, who has seven European Tour victories and four wins on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour, made seven birdies and only one bogey at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Donald, a former world No. 1 who has slipped to 95th and hasn’t won since 2012, had his best finish since finishing second in the same event in 2014.