2025 Black Desert NI Legends champion Markus Brier carded a bogey-free eight-under-par 64 to take a two-shot lead after the opening round of the Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy.

The Austrian leads the way on eight-under-par heading into Friday’s second round, with Gary Orr, Matthew Cort and 2024 champion Clark Dennis sharing second place on six-under. Stephen Gallacher, Simon Griffiths and Craig Farrelly are a further shot back on five-under, while Joakim Haeggman, Andrew Marshall and David Drysdale remain within four shots of the lead.

Brier’s round featured eight birdies, including a brilliant chip-in birdie at the ninth hole after finding trouble from the tee, helping him establish an early advantage heading into Friday’s second round.

“It was really good,” said Brier. “I hit a lot of good shots and the saves were really good, which is why I managed to keep it bogey-free.”

Reflecting on his chip-in birdie at the ninth, he added: “After making three birdies in a row I hit a really bad tee shot into the trees. I could only chip out and then had about a 15-metre chip from beside the green. It just kept rolling and dropped in on the last roll.”

Three players share second place on six-under-par after opening rounds of 66, including Gary Orr, who produced one of the most remarkable recoveries of the day.

The Scot appeared out of contention after losing his ball from the opening tee and carding a triple bogey on his first hole. However, Orr responded in spectacular fashion, playing the remaining 17 holes in nine-under-par to climb into a share of second place alongside Matthew Cort and Clark Dennis.

“Really delighted with that,” said Orr. “It was a terrible start because I lost my ball with my first tee shot, but I managed to hang in there. The second, third and fourth are tough holes, so it was all about hanging on and making pars. Then I eagled the sixth and played some really nice golf after that.”

Cort matched Orr’s 66 to sit two shots off the lead after a bogey-free round of his own. The Englishman credited improved work on the greens and a settled approach for his fast start in Greece.

“I’m really happy,” said Cort. “Bogey-free is always good. It’s a course I played kind of well on last year, so I’ve got good vibes here.”

“I’ve been fiddling with putters a little bit this year and I’ve kind of settled on one that feels great. I holed a couple of nice putts and cleaned up well around the hole, which really kept me going.”

Simon Griffiths shares fifth place, one shot further back on five-under-par after an encouraging opening 67. The Englishman arrived in Greece searching for form and admitted he had been struggling in recent months, making his opening round all the more satisfying.

“I’m very happy,” said Griffiths. “I’ve not been playing well for a long time, so expectations were pretty low. I was just trying not to make stupid mistakes.”

Griffiths added: “I drove it well, hit a lot of greens and gave myself plenty of chances.”

Griffiths shares fifth place with Stephen Gallacher and Craig Farrelly heading into round two.

With Gallacher, Griffiths and Farrelly all on five-under-par, and Joakim Haeggman, Andrew Marshall and David Drysdale just four shots off the lead, the tournament remains finely poised heading into Friday’s second round on The Hills Course at Costa Navarino.

Player Reactions

Markus Brier (-8)

“It was really good. I hit a lot of good shots and the saves were really good, which is why I managed to keep it bogey-free.”

“After making three birdies in a row I hit a really bad tee shot into the trees. I could only chip out and then had about a 15-metre chip from beside the green. It just kept rolling and dropped in on the last roll.”

Gary Orr (-6)

“Really delighted with that. It was a terrible start because I lost my ball with my first tee shot, but I managed to hang in there.”

“The second, third and fourth are tough holes, so it was all about hanging on and making pars. Then I eagled the sixth and played some really nice golf after that.”

Matthew Cort (-6)

“I’m really happy. Bogey-free is always good. It’s a course I played kind of well on last year, so I’ve got good vibes here.”

“I’ve been fiddling with putters a little bit this year and I’ve kind of settled on one that feels great. I holed a couple of nice putts and cleaned up well around the hole, which really kept me going.”

Simon Griffiths (-5)

“I’m very happy. I’ve not been playing well for a long time, so expectations were pretty low. I was just trying not to make stupid mistakes.”

“I drove it well, hit a lot of greens and gave myself plenty of chances.”

“I still had a three-putt, which I think is 67 rounds in a row with a three-putt.”

“I started counting when I got to about 25 and every single round since has had one. It’s horrific.”

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