Why Daniel Brown could be a sneaky contender for Open victory
Golf loves a good story and this year’s BMW International Open at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried provided yet another one.
Englishman Daniel Brown got off to a steady start before rounds of 65 on both Friday and Saturday earned him a one shot, 54-hole lead.
He then completed the win, his second on the DP World Tour, with a stunning Sunday 66.
But those details don’t come close to revealing just what an incredible performance this was.
Before we delve deeper into the tale, let’s remind ourselves that the final major championship of the year, the Open, takes place later this month.
Anyone showing good form has to be of interest for Claret Jug glory.But might Brown be an especially interesting contender?
The answer is yes, he really is, and here’s why.
Daniel Brown an inspirational winner in Germany
After carding that first 65 on Friday, Brown emerged from the scorer’s hut wiping tears from his eyes and he did the same after adding the second.
It would later emerge that one of his closest friends had passed away the previous Saturday.
He told Sky Sports’ Tim Barter ahead of the final round: “I’ve not really thought about winning. I’m trying not to get upset. Win or lose tomorrow, I’ve not really thought about it.”
He was quite clearly in something of a daze all weekend. He would describe himself as numb and he admitted it was only late in the final round that he allowed himself to consider what he was on the brink of achieving.
He also said that having spent last Saturday and Sunday with family and friends, he had found Monday very difficult.
“It was one of the worst days of my life,” he said. “Two hours in the car and two hours in the air. I was travelling on my own and that’s when reality hit me.
“The last two days I just kept thinking about him without trying to get too emotional. Today was like an out of body experience.”
He added of his friend: “He was always the first to message me after a round whether it was good or bad. I suppose he was there with me today.”
He was the first round leader in last year’s Open
It made for a marvellous scene late in last year’s first round of the Open at Royal Troon. It had been murky all day and, as darkness descended, two brothers emerged from the gloom in rain gear, playing in the penultimate group.
Carrying the bag was younger brother, Ben, playing the shots was older brother, Daniel.
He needed only 65 of them and everyone else that day needed at least 66.
He was the first rounder leader and at 10pm he stood under bright lights answering questions from the world’s media.
“Have you read Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code?” he was asked.
“I haven’t, no,” he answered, the definition of a stoic Yorkshireman.
He ended that week finishing tied tenth to guarantee a spot in the field at Royal Portrush.
Asked about how much he was looking forward to returning to the Open after his win in Munich he said: “Obviously it’s the biggest stage against the best players. I think I proved that I was capable of going toe-to-toe with them guys. Hopefully I can do it again.”
He has a surprisingly good links record
Since the end of 2023, he’s dropped many hints that he likes the seaside. For example, he opened that year’s Dunhill Links Championship with 66 for T10.
In 2024 he was third at La Reserve (a new links layout in Mauritius), fourth at St Francis Links in South Africa, and he opened the Scottish Open at Renaissance with a 65 before his Open fun and games.
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He’s already a winner in Northern Ireland
Brown’s first DP World Tour win came in the ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle.
He admitted in Germany that after lifting a trophy at this level for the first time. that “it didn’t really sink in” for him.
But he has every reason to be excited because that win not only came just a few miles inland from Royal Portrush, there was also one round played at Castlerock GC which is another links course on the Antrim coast, and just across the estuary from Portrush.
He knows Royal Portrush well
So he’s got form. He’s also got championship form. He even has linksland form. And he’s also got regional form.
Guess what? He also knows – and crucially likes – Royal Portrush.
“I played there a few times as an amateur,” he told Golf365 after his Munich win.
“I played the 2014 British Amateur on the course and I actually won the stroke play and then got to the quarter finals of the match play.
“I also played the Home Internationals for England there a couple of years later.
“My dad absolutely loves it there and he went with me when I played those events. It will be so nice for him to come with me and complete the loop from being an amateur to playing in the Open.”
Brother Ben, also an elite amateur, will also be in Northern Ireland – but this time only watching.
His tattoos…yep!
The 30-year-old has quite a lot of ink on his body including three little birds behind one ear, but what of the two sayings on his arms?
The first is in Arabic and means “To the moon”. It could mean something profound, but tour insiders say it refers to a club that Brown and his friends regularly visited at one tournament.
There is also a Latin phrase that is a more direct instruction to his golf.
It reads “fortune favours the brave” and after his superb tee shot to the heart of the green on the short par-4 16, and his approach to the middle of the par-5 18 green during the final round of the BMW International Open win, you can tell that he lives by that motto.
“Yes,” he admitted afterwards. “Sometimes you’ve got to grow some balls.”
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