Tam O'Shanter's Mark Brown wins Met Open
Oyster Bay's Mark Brown at the Long Island qualifying tournament for the U.S. Open held at Wheatley Hills Golf Club in East Williston. (May 7, 2012) Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
Mark Brown proved that his "A" game still is good enough to beat anyone in the area as he made two birdies near the end of regulation and won a three-hole playoff to earn the Met Open championship Thursday at Old Westbury Golf & Country Club.
Brown, the head pro at Tam O'Shanter Club in Brookville, became a two-time winner of the prestigious event, matching his victory in 1999. He birdied the 16th and 17th holes and endured a bogey on No. 18 to shoot 2-under-par 69 in the last of three rounds.
Amateur Cameron Wilson, who plays for Stanford, saved par out of a deep bunker on No. 18 to force a playoff, but Brown went 2 under in the extra holes and won by three strokes.
The $27,500 first prize represented the latest big achievement for Brown, 46, who also has won the New York State and Long Island Opens. It also represented a huge comeback from the recent PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club outside of Rochester.
Brown qualified for that major championship for a fifth time but missed the cut. At the time, Brown said, "I didn't have my 'C' game here this week. When you come to a major, you've got to have your 'A' game."
