Brier looks to build on success

Marcus Brier laughs when asked if he is the Zhang Lianwei of Austria.

Much like the spotlight that was cast on China's golf pioneer when he captured the Volvo China Open in 2003, the European Tour veteran saw his life totally change last year when he won the national championship at Shanghai Silport by a commanding five strokes.

For the 39-year-old Vienna native, the victory was his first outside his home country after winning the Austrian Open three times between 2002 and 2006.

Brier, who finished the European Tour season 32nd on the money list with 881,273 euros ($1,396,170), said while his wins in Austria were important, his first victory abroad really validated why he was out there as a professional golfer.

He called the reaction to his Volvo China Open in Austria big.

"It was huge. It was probably the first time that golf was ever really the daily news and on the front pages of the newspapers. Normally, only skiers get that in Austria and maybe F1 drivers. It has gotten a lot bigger since then and recently two other guys made their European Tour cards. So it also gave the younger golfers a push up to see what is possible."

After sitting five strokes back of leader Raphael Jacqueline at the halfway mark in last year's championship, Brier really got his game going late in the third round when he birdied the last three holes for a 4-under 67 and a one-stroke lead ahead of Australian Scott Hend.

Brier started his final round at Silport in strong fashion when he birdied two of the first three holes to make the turn at 32. He then birdied the final hole for his second consecutive round of 67 and 72-hole aggregate score of 10-under 274. The victory was worth more than $333,330.

"Getting those two early birdies really made me feel comfortable and that really got me going. I got into a good rhythm and picked up birdies at 8 and 9. When the others started to have problems I just kept hitting fairways so that made it a bit easier for me."

Brier, who turned pro relatively late at 27 after completing his MBA studies at Vienna Business University, said he was looking forward to defending his Volvo China Open title. He added he always enjoyed coming to Asia and had had good results playing in Volvo-sponsored tournaments. At the season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama in Spain last year, he finished tied for 17th.

"Volvo has had such good experience with the Volvo Masters. The tournament just had its 20th anniversary in Europe and it was good fun. They are such a long-time partner they know what the players want from a tournament. So that is always good and they always treat us perfectly. They choose the right courses and it is really good to play these events. I will come back for some time."

As for China, Brier said the country's growing roster of tournaments was finding favor with the top European pros, mainly for the conditions and growing prize purses on offer.

"China is a good place to play. A lot of guys from Europe would rather have these conditions than the heat of Southeast Asia. The courses are all quite new, modern styles. It is good to play on new courses," said the father of two.

"For me, it is always nice to come back as the China fans still remember. I have had quite a few people come up to me (at other tournaments) and say 'hey, you won the China Open. Can I have your autograph?' The media people also hold my Volvo China Open victory in high regard. They want to be involved in golf and there is a real interest there ,which is very nice to see."

After a strong season last year in which he also finished runner-up at the Italian Open and equal eighth in Holland, Brier said his focus now was to get into the World top-50 ranking and to challenge more in the Majors.

(China Daily 04/16/2008 page26)