Introduction
Markus Brier (born 5 July 1968) is one of relatively few Austrian touring professional golfers, and as of 2008 is his country's highest ranked player.
Brier won the Swiss and German Amateur Opens in the mid-1990s, and turned professional in 1995 at a relatively late age. Nine top ten finishes, including five top threes, on the 1999 Challenge Tour earned him third place on the season ending money list and playing privileges on the European Tour for 2000. He retained his tour card through his final position on the order of merit every year, except for 2002 and 2010 when he regained it through final qualifying school.
Since joining the European Tour, Brier has continued to play in his home event, the Austrian Open, winning it on two occasions during a period when it was a Challenge Tour event. In 2006 the tournament was promoted back onto the main European Tour schedule, now under the sponsored title BA-CA Golf Open. In its first year back, Brier once again took the title, in the process becoming the first Austrian golfer to win a European Tour event. This win helped him to his then best year-end finish on the Order of Merit of 49th.
Brier's second European Tour win came in 2007 at the Volvo China Open and he improved his position on the year end Order of Merit to 32nd. He has also featured in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
In 2012 he failed to regain his card at qualifying school. He failed to do so again in 2016 at age 48. He was the oldest competitor during 2016 Q School. Had he placed high enough, he would have been the oldest player to graduate to the European Tour via Q School.
Amateur wins (2)
- 1994 Swiss Amateur Open Championship
- 1995 German Amateur Open Championship
Professional wins (6)
European Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Jun 2006 | BA-CA Golf Open (3) | -18 (65-67-66-68=266) | 3 strokes |  Søren Hansen |
| 2 | 15 Apr 2007 | Volvo China Open (co-sanctioned with Asian Tour) | -10 (72-68-67-67=274) | 5 strokes |  Scott Hend,  Graeme McDowell, Andrew McLardy |
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007 | Telecom Italia Open |  Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
Challenge Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Jun 2002 | Austrian Golf Open | -21 (67-67-62-71=267) | 1 stroke |  Gary Birch Jr |
| 2 | 5 Sep 2004 | BA-CA Golf Open (2) | -23 (65-63-66-67=263) | 8 strokes |  Roope Kakko,  Lee Slattery |
Other wins (2)
- 2005 MAN NÖ Open (Alps Tour)
- 2013 Zurich Open
Equipment
- Irons - Mizuno Mp-52 3-PW, Dynamic Gold Lite
- Drivers - Mizuno MP-630 8.5
- Fairway Woods - Mizuno MP Titanium 13.5, 5 wood
- Wedges - Mizuno MPT-10 White Satin 54, 58
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT | DNP | T46 | DNP | DNP | CUT | T12 | DNP | CUT |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | CUT |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Austria): 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994
Professional
- World Cup (representing Austria): 2004, 2007
- Seve Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2007