Los Angeles, April 18

South African Branden Grace delivered a final-round master class to clinch a long expected first victory on the PGA Tour by two shots at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina on Sunday.

The world No 14, who thrust himself into the limelight at the game’s highest level with top-four finishes last year at the US Open and PGA Championship, closed with a superb five-under 66 at the Harbour Town course on Hilton Head Island. Helped by pinpoint distance control with his irons and brilliant putting on lightning-fast greens, Grace mixed seven birdies with just two bogeys to post a nine-under total of 275 in the first PGA Tour event after last week’s Masters.

Third-round leader Luke Donald of England, striving to end a four-year title drought on the US circuit, carded a 71 to share second place with Scotland’s Russell Knox (67). It was Donald’s fourth runner-up spot at the event. American Bryson DeChambeau (68), making his professional debut after ending his amateur career with a tie for 21st at last week’s Masters, finished joint fourth at five under.

Grace began the final round three strokes off the pace and moved into a tie for the lead with Donald and Knox when he rolled in a four-footer to birdie the par-four sixth. Out in four-under 32, he tightened his grip with birdies at the 12th and 13th, sinking consecutive putts from 10 feet to forge three ahead. He did well to save par with a clutch 12-footer at the 16th, where he found sand with his first two shots, and then bogeyed tricky par-three 17th after being bunkered off tee before comfortably parring the last.

Australian world No 1 Jason Day, joint leader after 36 holes before he tumbled down the leaderboard with an error-strewn 79 in the third round, shot a 68 to tie for 23rd.