Quick Facts
Biography
Kenneth John Brown (born 9 January 1957) is a Scottish former European Tour golfer, who now works as a golf broadcaster and writer, primarily for the BBC, Golf Channel, and Super Sport. He started his TV work with Sky Sports, working on their PGA Tour and European Tour coverage in the early 1990s.
He won four times on the European Tour and, in his best season, in 1978, he finished fourth on the European Tour Order of Merit at the age of 21. The last of his four top-10 finishes on the Order of Merit came when he was 26. He appeared in the Ryder Cup in 1977, 1979, 1983, 1985, and 1987, and had a 4-9-0 win-loss-tie record, including two wins and two losses in singles matches. Brown was vice-captain under Mark James in the 1999 matches.
After retiring from playing, Brown has spent much of his time as a BBC TV golf commentator and analyst. He also works as part of the commentary team for the international coverage of the European Tour on selected events which are not covered by the BBC.
Professional wins (6)
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Oct 1987 | Southern Open | −14 (65-64-69-68=266) | 7 strokes |  David Frost,  Mike Hulbert, Larry Mize |
European Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 Aug 1978 | Carroll's Irish Open | −7 (70-71-70-70=281) | 1 stroke |  Seve Ballesteros,  John O'Leary |
| 2 | 7 Aug 1983 | KLM Dutch Open | −14 (66-73-66-69=274) | 1 stroke | José Maria Cañizares,  Vaughan Somers |
| 3 | 1 Jul 1984 | Glasgow Open | −14 (63-65-67-71=266) | 11 strokes |  Sam Torrance |
| 4 | 2 Jun 1985 | Four Stars National Pro-Celebrity | −3 (71-68-69-69=277) | 1 stroke | Gordon Brand, Jnr |
European Tour playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1983 | Italian Open | Seve Ballesteros,  Bernhard Langer | Langer won with birdie on second extra hole Ballesteros eliminated by par on first hole |
| 2 | 1986 | Panasonic European Open | Greg Norman | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Other wins (1)
- 1983 Benson & Hedges Kenya Open
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T36 | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T34 | T34 | T19 | T6 | T44 | 19 | CUT | T14 | CUT | CUT | T17 | T38 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 70 | T24 | CUT | DNP |
Note: Brown never played in the U.S. Open.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1977, 1979, 1983, 1985 (winners), 1987 (winners)
- World Cup (representing Scotland): 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983
- Double Diamond International (representing Scotland): 1977
- Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1978 (winners), (representing Scotland): 1984
- Kirin Cup (representing Europe): 1987