England's Daniel Brown, ranked 384th, holds his nerve to secure maiden DP World Tour title
- Planet Sport writer
- 21 August 2023
Brown's closing 69 doesn't tell the full story of his topsy-turvy, as the Englishman bounced back from three straight bogeys to close out the title.
England's Daniel Brown claimed his first DP World Tour title with a wire-to-wire victory in the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland.
Brown carded a closing 69 at Galgorm Castle to finish 15 under par, five shots clear of compatriot Alex Fitzpatrick.
The 28-year-old took a six-shot lead into the final round but quickly saw that cut in half as he bogeyed the opening hole and Fitzpatrick birdied the first and second.
Both players bogeyed the third and Fitzpatrick also dropped a shot on the fourth before Brown birdied the fifth and sixth to restore his overnight cushion.
The world number 384 looked in total command when he began the back nine with a birdie on the 10th, but three straight bogeys meant his lead was briefly down to just two shots.
However, Brown responded superbly with three birdies in the next four holes to make sure of a career-changing victory.
"It's amazing," Brown said. "I could never have dreamed this up over the past however many years. I don't think it's sunk in.
"America (finishing seventh in the Barbasol Championship) was a bit of a turning point. That just gave me a lot of confidence that I know I can do it."
In the women's event, American Alexa Pano celebrated her 19th birthday with victory over England's Gabriella Cowley on the third hole of a play-off.
Cowley had eagled the 18th and Esther Henseleit made birdie to join Pano on eight under par, with Henseleit eliminated on the first extra hole when she was unable to match the birdies of her two rivals.
Cowley then missed from three feet for a winning birdie on the second extra hole and Pano took full advantage of her reprieve, two-putting for birdie when the players returned to the par-five 18th for a third time.
"I've been saying for like two months now that I really wanted to win this event because it's on my birthday and it feels so surreal that it's happened," Pano said.
