Dan Brown claimed an emotional victory at the BMW International Open, securing his second career European Tour title with a flawless final-round 66 to finish two shots clear of fellow Englishman Jordan Smith.
The 30-year-old described the win as an “out-of-body experience” as he battled through grief following the death of a close friend just a week earlier.
“I lost a friend at home last weekend,” Brown said after his win. “I don’t know what to say really, but that was for him. The last two days I’ve been thinking about him to try and take my mind off it, trying not to get too emotional in the process.”
Brown, who led by a single shot heading into the final round, quickly pulled away with four birdies in his first six holes. Both he and Smith birdied the 18th, but Brown’s early momentum proved decisive as he closed out the tournament at 22 under par.
Reflecting on the day, Brown said: “I’m not too sure what happened today. It was all nerves and emotion. But I think he was there with me, and that made it easier.”
Brown becomes the eighth Englishman to win the BMW International Open.
New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori finished third on 18 under, with Dutchman Joost Luiten, American Dan Bryant, and Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan sharing fourth on 16 under.
Final Leaderboard – BMW International Open
-22 Dan Brown (Eng)
-20 Jordan Smith (Eng)
-18 Kazuma Kobori (NZ)
-16 Joost Luiten (Ned), Dan Bryant (USA), Kristoffer Reitan (Nor)
Selected others:
-15 Laurie Canter (Eng)
-14 Marco Penge (Eng)
-11 Scott Jamieson (Sco), Richie Ramsay (Sco)
-10 Richard Mansell (Eng), John Parry (Eng), Marcus Armitage (Eng)
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