South African Branden Grace is putting all his effort into The International Series run-in, in a bid to win his way back onto the LIV Golf League at the first time of asking.
Going by his form at International Series Thailand this week, he is trending in the right direction.
Grace fired a five-under-par third round of 65 to move to 11 under and stay in contention for the sixth of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour.
It could have been even better, but he faded in the heat. But after a season in which he was unable to escape the drop from the LIV Golf League, the performance was a real lift.
Especially with The International Series Rankings and the season-ending LIV Golf Promotions event both offering him a viable pathway back to the big time.
With four tournaments left on the series, and increased points for the US$2.5million International Series Qatar and US$5million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, the Stinger GC star could still theoretically challenge for top spot on the rankings, currently occupied by American John Catlin.
After finishing in the Drop Zone, Grace is also guaranteed a spot on the season-ending Promotions event in Saudi Arabia in December, which offers the champion another place on the LIV Golf League roster.
Grace said: “My thing is, I am here, I am playing Qatar, playing Saudi, and then I am going to the promotions event. I have to do what I have to do. Depending on what happens, I make my decision from there. I put myself in this position, so there is nothing I can really do about it other than practice and get ready for these events.
“I need to go win, win, win, and there you go. It takes care of things. But I just have to do what I have to do.”
Grace has an advantage going into the closing straight. A champion on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Sunshine Tour and LIV Golf League, he has winning experience in Qatar, having twice won the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, and he is relishing the prospect of a return to Doha for the penultimate event of the season.
He said: “So Qatar, I have won twice there, my last two times I have been there, so I am going for a little secret hat trick around there. And with Saudi, I have not been to the new course, but I have heard good things about it. I have some good things to look out for.”
Grace admits he “hasn’t even looked at” his prospects for next season if he doesn’t manage to navigate his way back onto the LIV Golf League roster, but either way he will definitely line up in more events on The International Series and Asian Tour.
Grace, who finished second and ninth in his first two seasons on LIV Golf, surprised many by ending up in the drop zone this season.
He said: ”I am going to go to where I feel that I have the best chances of competing and winning golf tournaments. This is what it is all about - giving the guys opportunity. Like I have said before, this is a great stepping stone. It is great.”
Grace has been getting plenty of encouragement from his compatriots and Stinger GC teammates, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Dean Burmester. He said: “You know, those guys are still backing me, which is good. And with three good mates out there, it would be nice to be back on that team.”
The International Series is the most prized pathway in golf. It consists of 10 elite tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour and offers the year-long Rankings leader promotion to the LIV Golf League
