Amidst sunshine, thunderstorms, and references to golf's most authentic tradition, the 2026 Hickory Masters crowned a winner destined to go down in golf history. On the course of the Circolo Golf Villa d'Este in Italy, Austrian Markus Brier captured the inaugural title of the first major dedicated to hickory golf, winning by a single shot over Swiss Paolo Quirici.
Brier's success also holds special significance for his professional resume. The Austrian, already a winner of two DP World Tour tournaments and two Legends Tour events, becomes the first major champion in golf to play with genuine hickory clubs.
The event brought together 37 golfers from 16 countries, all challenged not only with the Larian course, but also with rules and equipment that set the game back a century. No modern equipment: just original clubs from the era, identical balls for everyone, and a strict dress code of shirt and tie or bow tie.
The two days of the tournament offered completely different scenarios. The first round was played in ideal conditions, with sunshine and light winds. The final day, however, was marred by bad weather, with heavy rain and thunderstorms that forced the organizers to interrupt play twice for safety reasons due to lightning strikes.
At the time of the second suspension, Paolo Quirici still held the lead. The Swiss, the 2013 hickory world champion and considered by many to be one of the absolute benchmarks of the sport, was playing the final flight alongside Brier. The two contenders still had two and a half holes to play.
Quirici had relaunched his ambitions with a birdie on the 16th hole, maintaining control of the tournament at an extremely delicate stage. Markus Brier, however, managed to stay in control thanks to a decisive chip-in for par. The finale then definitively changed the outcome of the tournament: the Austrian scored consecutive birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, completing the overtaking and securing the "Silver Rake Niblick" trophy by a slim but sufficient margin.
The 2026 Hickory Masters represents a significant step forward for a movement that has gained growing international attention in recent years. The event was created with the goal of becoming a permanent and prestigious fixture on the global hickory calendar, showcasing the original golf experience through historic equipment and traditional rules.
Among the tournament's keynote speakers was Perry Somers, Australian and 2010 Hickory World Champion, who emphasized the cultural and sporting value of the event. According to Somers, this is the first tournament to showcase hickory golf in its most complete form, fully respecting the spirit of the game from a century ago.
The setting of the Villa d'Este Golf Club further enhanced the event's allure. The Italian course, already renowned internationally, transformed for two days into a journey through time, combining the elegance of yesteryear with authentic sporting challenge.
For Switzerland, it was still a high-level performance, led by Paolo Quirici, who dominated until the final hole and once again was one of the most competitive names in world hickory golf. His duel with Markus Brier was the highlight of an inaugural edition that is already aiming to consolidate its position as one of the most prestigious events in the sport.
