Crossing paths once again with Gary Player at this week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in his native South Africa will bring Branden Grace right back to his historic turn at The Open.

The 29-year-old will begin the penultimate event of the European Tour season today [Thursday] before the DP World Tour Championship later this month, with Grace heading out at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City to take part in one of the richest season finales in world golf.

In July, Grace brought the sport to standstill by becoming the first man to card a round of 62 in a major.

His sensational third round at The Open at Royal Birkdale, which didn’t contain a single bogey, saw him become the toast of the golfing world and the congratulations of his legendary countryman Player – who won the oldest major three times – have stuck with him ever since.

“I saw Gary Player on the Sunday evening and he came and shook my hand and gave me a big hug, and said: ‘congrats’ – he was so happy, and so proud of me,” said Grace.

“And then he told me; ‘it doesn’t matter if someone else shoots a 62. You’ll always be the first one to do it’.

“When I really thought about, then it sunk in how good this actually is and how great it is, and how fortunate I am to have my score and my name in the history books.”

Grace’s magical round included birdies on the first, fourth, fifth, eighth, ninth, 14th, 16th and 17th holes and his caddie Zach Rasego only discovered that he was about to make history when playing partner Jason Dufner’s looper Kevin Baile told him so on the 18th green.

As he aims to finish his European Tour campaign with a flourish, Grace – who turned professional in 2007 – cannot help but reflect on his unforgettable Open performance.

“The golf was there for the taking, really. There wasn’t really any wind at all. You seldom get days where there’s nothing,” he said.

“The whole day, I was just not thinking on the greens. I was kind of that this day was just meant to happen.

“Whether it was from the first [putt] or any of the other long ones I made, it was literally just focussing on the line and the speed and just hitting it.

“There were no negative thoughts that came into mind.

“When I got to 18, I hit a great drive down there. After that, when I got past those bunkers – probably 150 yards in – it was a standing ovation.

“I still didn’t click, honestly. I knew what the record was but in my mind, the last thing I wanted to do was finish off with a bogey.

“Being eight-under, I never put two and two together, thinking ‘this is for 62’.

“It was pretty cool and after knocking it close, then people went crazy again.

“I stood over the two-footer and when I was doing that, Kevin, who was caddying for Duff, he told Zach: ‘this is for the history books’.”

The rest, for Grace, was history.