GRITTY BRIER OVERCOMES ELEMENTS TO WIN BLACK DESERT NI LEGEND
Markus Brier has won the Black Desert NI Legends at Galgorm, holding his nerve in strong winds on the final day to claim a first Legends Tour victory since 2021.
Rounds of 65, 69 and 70 saw him finish at -12, two clear of Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg, with Lionel Alexandre and Phillip Price a further shot back at -9. Steve Webster – a winner last week at the Grass & Co. English Legends – birdied the last two holes to secure a solo 5th place finish.
After a number of years struggling to find his game, two-time DP World Tour winner Brier was delighted to be back in the winner’s circle after a masterclass in course management and shotmaking. “I’m so happy. The last two years were not what I wanted so to come back like this in Northern Ireland just feels so good,” said the Austrian.
“The first couple of holes I hit a few really good shots, so that gave me some confidence. And then I just kept holing putts like I did all week. You need a bit of luck to win and I had a few lip ins. I got a bit shaky at the end but I haven’t won for four years so I’m just happy that it was enough.”
Having begun the day at -10, two clear of Lundberg and three clear of Simon Griffiths, the Austrian birdied the second as his playing partners faltered, with both dropping shots at the first.
But it was far from a formality for Brier on the front nine as the wind picked up, and he was forced to rely on his short-game skills on holes 6, 7 and 8 to save par and maintain his forward momentum.
A comfortable birdie on the 9th then took him five clear, after a stunning 5-iron to 20ft on the par-five, but once again he was unable relax as Lionel Alexandre – who had just eagled both the 9th and 10th – birdied the 12th to reach -10.
But as he has done so often this week, Brier again showed great resilience to produce two moments of magic at a time when they were most needed. A pin-point approach on the par-3 14th set up a tap-in birdie, and he followed that with another cracking iron shot on 15 that yielded another birdie and propelled him towards victory.
“Those birdies were big because some of the guys reached -10, so although I was playing well I knew I had to hit some really good shots,” said Brier. “So that was great to make those and have a few shots in hand for the last three holes.
“Winning again means everything to me. We’re out here to win, and if you haven’t won and not even been in contention for years, it’s hard. But it’s what I work for and I now know that I’m on the right path and I hope I can keep it going. I’ve found something with my swing and now I have confidence with the putter as well.”
Sweden’s Lundberg was left to rue three front-nine bogeys as he finished two adrift of Brier, and although he did manage to apply some pressure with birdies at 17 and 18 to reach -10 it was never quite enough. Solo second does at least lift him up to seventh on the Order of Merit, with victory seeing Brier rise to 12th. Australia’s Scott Hend still leads from Keith Horne, with 2023 winner Peter Baker now third.
Lionel Alexandre, who needs a top-20 finish in the Order of Merit to secure his card for next year is now 22nd, having recorded a first top-five since he went T4 and T3 in the two events of the season. “I was not expecting that,” he said afterwards. “I knew I was playing well, but my putting was not there. So I tried to be a bit more focused on the pace of the greens and it seems to work. It was a good day today. I’m used to playing in the wind so I just tried to keep the ball in play and take it shot by shot. I’m happy to birdie 18 and we move on. Hopefully next week is going to be as good as this one.”
Earlier in the week, 16 young elite amateurs from Northern Ireland took part in the Legends Tour’s Future Legends, presented by Black Desert Resort. After two rounds playing alongside Legends Tour professionals, 13-year-old Parker Bonnes – a member at Galgorm – claimed victory with an impressive 81 stableford points.
The Legends Tour now moves on to San Sebastian in Spain for the European Legends Cup, hosted by José María Olazábal.
For more information on the Legends Tour go to www.legendstour.com
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ABOUT THE LEGENDS TOUR
Formerly known as the European Senior Tour and the Staysure Tour, the Legends Tour is the men’s professional golf tour for members aged 50 and older. Created in 1992, the Legends Tour’s active membership features many of the pioneering champions who played on the European Tour during the 1970s, 80s, 90s and beyond. Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam are among the winners of the John Jacobs Trophy, awarded to the golfer who finishes first on the Legends Tour Order of Merit.
The Legends Tour provides unmatched playing experiences for amateur golfers at its Legends Experience, Championship Pro-Am and Celebrity Pro-Am events. These experiences provide golfers with unique opportunities to rub shoulders with and play alongside legends of the game at world-class venues around the world. In September 2020, Ryan Howsam, Staysure Group CEO, acquired a majority equity share in the Tour in a ground-breaking joint venture with the European Tour, a unique structure whereby an individual has the majority ownership in a professional tour.
ABOUT GALGORM
Galgorm is Northern Ireland’s premier luxury resort, golf and spa destination, set in 450 acres of lush parkland and situated 30 minutes from Belfast and close to both Belfast airports. Galgorm is part of Galgorm Collection, a unique collection of hotels with award-winning spas, two golf clubs and two city-centre restaurants situated throughout Northern Ireland. The championship Castle Course at Galgorm is one of Ireland’s standout tournament venues and in 2025 will host its 20th professional event with the new Black Desert NI Legends event on the Legends Tour. Galgorm hosted the 2020 Irish Open, four World Invitationals and 14 NI Opens. The par-72 parkland course offers an idyllic golf experience for golfers of all levels. For more information please visit www.galgorm.com/
ABOUT BLACK DESERT
Set amidst the vermillion sandstone cliffs and striking black lava beds of Greater Zion, Black Desert Resort is poised to become a premier destination for luxury hospitality, golf, and Southern Utah adventure. Black Desert Resort is anchored by a Tom Weiskopf-designed championship golf course, which will host annual events on the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour. The initial phase of the Resort Center is set to be complete this September, including nearly 800 rooms and suites, seven dining venues, a 15,000-square-foot spa, a heated outdoor pool and hot tub, beach oasis, and 45,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting and event space. Future phases will include a water park, more rooms and suites, and many more dining, shopping, and entertainment options. Spanning over 600 acres of scenic landscape, Black Desert Resort offers easy access to 200+ acres of preserved land and six miles of hiking trails. To learn more, visit www.blackdesertresort.com
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