Fast-closing Brier of Austria wins Volvo China Open by five  SHANGHAI, China -- Austrian Markus Brier shot a final-round 4-under 67 to win the Volvo China Open by five strokes Sunday. He earned $333,390 out of a purse of $2 million at the tournament co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.  Markus Brier shows off his new trophy and ceremonial gold jacket. (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Brier had five birdies and one bogey on the 7,073-yard course at Shanghai Silport Golf Club to finish at 10-under 274. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland (69), Andrew McLardy of South Africa (70), and Scott Hend of Australia (71) tied for second at 279. South Africa's Richard Sterne chipped in for an eagle on No. 18 for a 70, finishing a further stroke back at 280. Overnight leader Brier, claimed only the second European Tour title of his career, started the day on 6 under par holding a one-shot advantage over playing partner Hend. He extended it to two by the turn, as some beautiful putting brought four birdies to go with the minor setback of a bogey at the fourth as the Austrian went out in 32 to move to 9 under. Hend fell further behind with consecutive bogeys at the 10th and 11th, while Brier produced a run of eight pars before he birdied the last to add the event to the BA-CA Golf Open he 38-year-old won in Vienna last June. McDowell could not get anything going in his final round. The 27-year-old looked set to mount a last-day charge as he closed within two of Brier after a birdie at the par-4 second, but could not take advantage of a number of opportunities before a 4 at the last completed his round of 69. England's David Griffiths sealed a second consecutive top-10 finish after claiming a tie for third place at the Estoril Open of Portugal two weeks ago. The 26-year-old shot a final round of 71 to end 1 under par for the tournament, while compatriot Miles Tunnicliff recorded an impressive 66 to end the week level par. After his victory, Brier said he was delighted to have now tasted success outside of his homeland. "It makes me feel an even better player as previously I had home advantage and the crowd were behind me," he said. "It was the next step." Brier's final round was built on the back of some excellent long putting from the outset and he felt that proved the difference all week. "The start was really important," he added. "Those first three putts got me into a rhythm and I didn't look back. The start calmed me down a bit. "I didn't hit a fairway until the eighth but I holed some tight putts. That was the key. I didn't really hit it close this week but made a lot of distance putts on the green." Meanwhile, McDowell said he could still take plenty of positives from his first tournament since ending the Johnnie Walker Classic in a tie for 60th place at the beginning of March. "I would have liked to have put Markus (Brier) under a bit of pressure," he said. "I didn't quite hit it close enough and kept leaving myself 15- to 20-foot putts instead of ones of 10 feet. I just couldn't get it going in the right direction. "But I hit the golf ball lovely today, so I can't really complain," he added. "To have five weeks off and come straight back with a good finish, that's pretty pleasing." The putter was to prove McDowell's nemesis during the final round as despite a number of opportunities, he did not pick up another shot until the final hole after a run of 15 straight pars. "I birdied the second and had some good chances after that," he added. "But I missed a 10-footer on the fifth, which I though I had made, and then three-putted the eighth, which was a killer. "It was a frustrating week in some ways but I hit the ball progressively better as the week went on, so that was good," he explained. "I am doing so many good things and I am very happy with my game, so I can't be disappointed." Copyright 2007 Associated Press and PA Sport. All rights reserved. |
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