Brown wins for seventh time on Charles Tour
- Dave Worsley
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Veteran New Zealand golfer Mark Brown has won the 2025 Muriwai Open, his seventh Charles Tour victory.
Beginning the final round on Sunday four shots back from 54-hole leader Kerry Mountcastle, Brown carded a three-under 65 to win by one shot – first tying the lead on the 68th hole of the tournament.
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Mountcastle had set the pace for much of the event at Muriwai Golf Links, taking advantage of the comparatively benign conditions to lead after the second and third rounds and holding off chasers Brown and Josh Geary with a narrow lead.
For Mountcastle, though, a difficult back-nine in the fourth round that featured two bogeys and two double-bogeys ended up costing the PGA New Zealand member.
Conversely, Brown showed all the experience he had gained in his years on the Charles Tour, taking advantage of Mountcastle’s double-bogeys on the 14th and 17th holes to grab the lead for the first time.
The par-three 17th hole proved to be the decider. With the leaders tied, Mountcastle sent his tee shot long, perhaps playing for some of the wind that had turned the 110m hole into a far less routine play throughout the week.
The Sunday easterly could not help Mountcastle keep his ball on the green and he made double-bogey after his second shot landed in the greenside bunker, while Brown made par and suddenly the veteran was in control.
There were perhaps a few nerves from Brown’s supporters as he came down the 18th with a two-shot lead, exacerbated by his second shot landing to the right of the green presenting a tricky chip up the slope.
Knowing a bogey would be enough to win, Brown delicately placed his ball on the top shelf of the green and two-putted his way to victory.
“This one’s special, you know, [it’s] probably one of the last tournaments I’ll play on the Charles Tour, so to win here after many years of coming here is really special.”
On whether there were any nerves coming down the 18th after knowing he had regained the lead, he said the easterly wind made sure he had to play each shot with precision.
“It was just tough out there. This easterly wind that swells on the last three holes, it was just a difficult day to hang in. So there were a couple of nerves, [but I tried to] just execute each shot as they come along.”
The final putt of the tournament saw Brown tap in for his bogey and he said having such a short putt took a little of the pressure off the winning moment.
“I wouldn’t have wanted it any longer.”
Brown now turns his attention to Europe where he plans a stint on the Legends Tour, taking the family away for a time before he then returns to work at the Mount Golf Club.
“We’re going to head over to Europe and play some Legends events over on their senior tour, just eight or nine tournaments to see how we like it.
“Take the family away, then I’ll be back for work at the Mount Golf Club.”