DID YOU KNOW – JOBURG OPEN
• Defending champion, Branden Grace will be looking to win his fifth European Tour title in his last 31 European Tour events, dating back to the corresponding event 12 months ago. After graduating from the 2011 Qualifying School he became the most successful qualifier in history, winning four times and amassing €2,502,501, to finish sixth in the 2012 Race to Dubai. He is in a rich vein of form this season also, having been placed in the top seven in his last three consecutive events.
• Should Grace prevail again, he would join Trevor Immelman , Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel as South Africans to win the same European Tour event in back-to-back years.
• Schwartzel will attempt to continue with his outstanding record in European Tour events co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour. He has played in 30 tournaments, making 25 cuts, winning five times, runner-up five times and been placed in the top ten on 16 occasions overall.
• Schwartzel has played in all six previous Joburg Opens and won the event in 2010 and 2011. He was also tied fourth in 2009. Overall the 2011 Masters Tournament Champion is 71 under par for the event. He also holds the tournament record of 261 (-23) established back in 2010.
• To highlight the success of South Africans on The European Tour recently, since the start of the 2012 season they have claimed 11 of the last 51 European Tour events.
• Of the 50 events co-sanctioned staged between The European Tour and Sunshine Tour, South African players have accounted for 30 of the titles.
• South Africa have won every year on The European Tour since 1991; 23 consecutive seasons.
• The Joburg Open has the largest field of the season, with 210 players.
