Published: July 14, 2009 07:12 am      

Tourney winner

Christian Brand’s new approach on the links is paying off.

Brand, a Charleston native and Marshall University golfer, won the 29th annual BNI Memorial Golf Classic in record-breaking fashion, shooting a 70 at The Resort at Glade Springs to win the tournament by 13 shots.

He finished with a three-day total of 203, a tournament record.

“I decided to stop forcing myself and just play golf,” Brand said Monday, right before receiving his trophy. “In the past, I’d put pressure on myself and try to make every shot. Coming in (to the BNI) I decided to just try to stay calm, relax and have some fun. It’s a new approach for me and the results speak for themselves. I think I’m going to stick with it.”

Brand’s first two days (a 68 at Pipestem and a 65 at Grandview, a course he had never played before) rendered his fellow championship-flight opponents’ comeback attempts moot.

And if that wasn’t enough, he started well and really had no hiccups, save a double-bogey on eight.

And he cleaned that up nicely with two straight birdies.

By that point, the championship was all but decided and it was a race for second, eventually taken by two-time BNI champion Brandon Reece, after a solid two-under 70. Kelly Shumate finished third.

Ironic that Brand, 21, took up golf on a lark.

“I started when I was 13,” Brand said. “Some of my friends in middle school were playing golf and they asked me to come along. You know how it is in middle school, you do what your friends are doing.”

From there, “I think I fell in love with it.”

And his friends?

“I see them every now and then,” Brand said. “They ask how the golf game is going. I don’t think they play competitively, though.”

Brand was more than competitive Monday, and the whole week for that matter.

“Hats off to Christian,” said Veres, his playing partner who entered the tournament second and finished fourth with a 217. “He played great for three days. Today he came in and made some good shots and putted well. That’s what you have to do and he did it.”

“Christian played well for three days and his scores were really outstanding,” said Shumate, who had a 217 and finished Monday with an even-par 72.

Brand plays golf at Marshall but will redshirt this year, to catch up on classwork and to work a pair of internships.

“I switched my major last year ,” he said, noting he hoped to do an internship at the West Virginia Golf Association if possible. “It’ll be a year off but I’ll keep my game sharp. I think it’ll be a good year for me.”

After school he intends to turn pro.

Brand said he will be back to defend his title.

“It’s a great tournament,” Brand said. “It’s played at three great courses. I’ll be back, and not just because I won it. It’s a great tune-up for the State Amateur. And it’s a well-run tournament. It was fun.”

Brand will next play in the State Amateur (he was fifth last year) at The Greenbrier beginning Aug. 3.

— E-mail: demorrison@register-herald.com