Wayne Grady’s isn’t a name that instantly comes to mind when you think of the golfing greats of the late eighties and early nineties. But in one 18 month stretch, from spring 1989 to late summer 1990, the Australian entered a realm normally reserved for the likes of Nick Faldo and Greg Norman with a spectacular run of form that netted him a major championship, a world cup win, a flurry of top PGA Tour finishes and very nearly the biggest prize of them all – the Open Championship title.
Grady, who was in Hong Kong last month to compete in the Ageas HKPGA Championship, is typically forthright on his success of 20 years ago.
“It was all down to bloody hard work,” says the likeable 53-year-old Brisbanite, who finished second to American CJ Gatto at Kau Sai Chau following a solid final-round performance. “I had a reasonable talent – nothing exceptional – but there’s really no secret: I just worked really hard on my game.”
