Austrians get on world map

AUSTRIAN golf has rarely made the headlines, although those who believe the game isn’t popular there would be well wide of the mark.

In fact, Ireland won the 1987 European Amateur Championship at Murhof near Graz and Paul McGinley captured the Hohe Brucke Austrian Open in 1996. They are now competing in the World Cup for the first time under the present format and their team of Markus Brier and Martin Wiegele have surprised themselves and just about everybody else by joining Ireland at the top of the leaderboard.

If anything, Brier could claim to be man of the first round as he chalked up eight birdies while Wiegele was the one to produce the birdie at the last which ensured them of joint leadership.