Branden Grace

The South African won the LIV Golf Portland event last week with a three-day tally of 13-under 203. It was a hefty payday for the two-time PGA TOUR winner who has fallen to 132nd in the OWGR. He's looking to stay busy, or make a statement, with his late addition to the field this week in Scotland. Previously suspended from this co-sanctioned event, the appeals court put a pause on those suspensions which allowed Ian Poulter, Adrian Otaegui, and Justin Harding to hop into the field and Grace is now joining them. These late, LIV Golf participants are not removing others from the field, only expanding it with the field size now sitting at 160 golfers. 

The South Africans began solo 2nd, five adrift of leaders Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, and after going out in 1-over (1 birdie, 2 bogeys), were now in a race for a podium. Unlike their bogey-free day-tying-low 65 in alternate shot in R2, which had they repeated that effort today they would've won by two, Sunday proved too tall a task, outbalancing four birdies with five bogeys. For Higgo, making his debut, he finally nabs a second top 10 in 21 career events, first since winning last season's fill-in Palmetto Championship 19 starts ago as a non-member on a Commissioner's Exemption, and for Grace, this is his first top 10 in the event in four attempts, and his second top 10 of the season in 14 starts, first since T7 at the ZOZO in Japan 12 starts ago. For the week, the duo signed for rounds of 64-65-63-73, and ended up six back of playing competitors and eventual champs Schauffele and Cantlay (72). See link below to post-round comments. 

The South African's dropped their first shot of the tourney with bogey-5 at 12, and Grace whiffed on a 4'5" birdie chance at the last to get a little closer, but the pair did enough to move into the final group on Sunday, scheduled for 12:50 pm local. They'll begin five adrift of R1/R2/R3 leaders Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, who are putting on a clinic, so much so that it camouflages the fact the Grace & Higgo's 54-hole mark of 192 would have been a new tournament record were it not for the leaders' heroics, including a day-low 60 on Saturday. Grace contributed four birdies today, two from between seven and 11 feet, while first-timer Higgo circled four as well, the latter three at 13, 14 and 16 rolled in from between 10 and 20 feet, and added a hole-out eagle-3 at 7 from 39 yards away. Higgo is chasing a second TOUR title, first since last season's fill-in Palmetto Championship as a non-member on a Commissioner's Exemption, while Grace is vying for a third TOUR win, first since last season's opposite-field Puerto Rico Open, both of their most recent victories being come-from-behind varieties. See link below to post-round comments. 

South Africans nearly won this event last year, with Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel losing in extra time after being the 54-hole leaders by one. It's a different pair in contention this year, Higgo making his tournament debut, while Grace is making his fourth appearance in the team format with a best of T24 at the inaugural in 2017 (with Oosthuizen). The tandem, who matched the low round of the day, kicked off with a bogey-free 64 in R1 four-balls, and are one of three teams error-free at the halfway mark. Today, they began on 10 tee and rang up seven birdies at holes 12, 15, 18-1-2-3 and 9, Higgo connecting two times from between eight and 35 feet, and Grace sweeping in two from between 11 and 17 feet. The duo will be in the third-to-last group on Saturday with Aussies Jason Day and Jason Scrivener, scheduled for 11:19 am local.