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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
TROON, Scotland — On a day when the unpredictable wind and the firm conditions of Royal Troon Golf Club brought many of the world’s best golfers to their knees, a lesser known qualifier from England grabbed the first-round lead in the 152nd Open Championship on Thursday.
Daniel Brown, who had missed the cut or withdrawn in seven of his past eight starts on the DP World Tour, carded birdies on two of his last three holes to post a 6-under 65. He has a one-stroke lead over Ireland’s Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open Championship winner, and three strokes over two-time major champion Justin Thomas.
PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele was among seven golfers who were four back at 2 under.
Brown grew up playing links golf but was never fond of it — until now.
“I used to hate it,” Brown said. “As an amateur, obviously you play it all the time, and you get a little bit fed up of hitting good shots and end up in pot bunkers sometimes, which is the way it is. But I’ve found, since I’ve not really been playing too much links golf, that I’ve enjoyed it more. I’ve enjoyed the challenge more and the wind more and the firm conditions.”
Here’s what to watch in the second round of The Open on Friday:
What can Brown do?
The 29-year-old is one of the most unlikely first-round leaders in major championship history. Not only is Brown making his first start in a major, he is also ranked 272nd in the Official World Golf Ranking.
He finished 61st in last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, the first time he’d played four rounds in a tournament since tying for 23rd in the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa on March 10.
Brown, from Northallerton, England, has one career victory on the DP World Tour at the 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational, beating Alex Fitzpatrick (Matt’s younger brother) by five strokes.
Brown qualified for The Open by draining a 20-foot putt on the last hole of a final qualifying 36-hole event at West Lancashire Golf Club in Liverpool, England, on July 2. He was sidelined for seven weeks earlier this year because of a knee injury.
Whatever was ailing him, Brown cracked the code Thursday. He had a bogey-free round, making birdie putts of 34½ feet on No. 10, 42 feet on No. 11, 13 feet on No. 16 and 8 feet on No. 18.
“I have [slept with a lead] in the past, but probably like two, three years ago,” Brown said. “I know there’s still 54 holes left. There’s a long way to go. I don’t think I’ll struggle to sleep tonight after that late finish.”
Brown ranked first in strokes gained: total (9.45) and off the tee (3.50) and second in putting (4.49).
Brown’s brother, Ben, is working as his caddie this week. Daniel won the English Amateur Championship in 2016; Ben followed in his footsteps seven years later.
“He’s been struggling with a little injury, so he hasn’t been playing much,” Daniel Brown said. “I like having him on the bag. He’s good at reading greens, and he’s obviously a good golfer himself, so he can give good advice. To share my first major with him on the bag is nice.”
Brown became the first men’s golfer to record a bogey-free round of 65 or better in his first major championship round.
Will Royal Troon get any easier?
The shifting wind perplexed plenty of golfers, who expected to have gusts behind their backs on the front nine and in their faces heading back to the clubhouse. Instead, it was the opposite, and many players struggled to adjust their gameplans.
The most difficult hole on the course on Thursday was the par-4 12th, which had a scoring average of 4.40. There were nine birdies, 92 pars, 44 bogeys, seven double-bogeys and four others. Ben Griffin carded an 8 on the 450-yard, dogleg right hole.
The rain and wind made things difficult for many.
“It’s tough. It’s really tough,” said defending Open Championship winner Brian Harman, who posted a 2-over 73 in the first round. “It’s a brutal, hard golf course.”
1:20
Why the 8th hole at The Open Championship is ‘really scary’
Golfers at The Open Championship are ready for the challenge the 8th hole poses at Royal Troon.
There were only two holes on the course that had cumulative scores below par: the par-5 16th (4.87) and par-4 18th (3.97). There was only one birdie on the par-4 ninth, by Alex Noren.
“Well, it was really hard if you ask me,” said Cameron Smith, the 2022 Open Championship winner at St. Andrews, who carded a 9-over 80. “If you ask Shane, it would probably be a different story.
“No, it’s hard, mate. A lot of crosswinds. Hard to keep your ball in the fairway, and when you’re in the rough, you’re kind of guessing with landing something short with the bounces you get. It was brutal. It really was a good test of golf, and you needed to be on your A-plus game to shoot under par, and I witnessed it. [Lowry] played good.”
Work to do
U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and runner-up Rory McIlroy dueled until the very end of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina in June.
It didn’t take them long to become non-factors at The Open. McIlroy carded a 7-over 78, his third-worst score to par in the major. He was 8 over in the first 18 holes at Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland in 2013 and at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland in 2019.
After McIlroy’s late collapse at Pinehurst No. 2 — he missed two short putts in the final three holes to help DeChambeau win his second U.S. Open title — his major championship drought will extend beyond 10 years, barring a miracle.
“I mean, all I need to focus on is tomorrow and try to make the cut,” McIlroy said. “That’s all I can focus on.”
DeChambeau was only two strokes better at 5-over 76. DeChambeau said he wasn’t prepared for the shifting wind. He was trying to draw the ball but should have cut it in hindsight.
1:16
Rory McIlroy recaps ‘difficult’ Round 1
Rory McIlroy attributes his 7 over par in Round 1 of The Open to wind and the course conditions.
“I’m going to go figure it out,” DeChambeau said. “It’s something equipment related. I’m not at 190 [mph] ball speed, so particularly when I’m hitting driver or 3-wood, those clubs are built for around that speed, and my 3-wood around 180 [mph]. So [in] colder, firmer conditions, the golf ball is not compressing as much.”
With the wind howling off the Firth of Clyde, they weren’t the only recognizable golfers who struggled at Royal Troon on Thursday.
Among the golfers who have work to do on Friday to stick around for the weekend: Viktor Hovland (4 over), Sam Burns (5 over), Tom Kim (5 over), Max Homa (5 over), Will Zalatoris (5 over), Tommy Fleetwood (5 over), Sahith Theegala (6 over), Wyndham Clark (7 over), Rickie Fowler (8 over) and Tiger Woods (8 over).
More rain coming?
The weather forecast for Troon looks better — at least for a day. There’s a chance of light drizzle Friday morning, then clearing skies in the afternoon. Winds are again expected from the south or southwest at 9 to 12 mph, and gusts might be even stronger at 22 to 27 mph by late morning.
If the wind direction doesn’t change, golfers will face the same test they did Thursday — playing the front nine into the wind and the back with the wind at their backs.
“You know it’s going to be blowing,” Brooks Koepka said. “I don’t know what the weather says for the rest of the week. I haven’t even looked at it. I think this is a weird wind direction if I’m right, isn’t it? I don’t know if it’ll switch back, but I know [going] into the wind on those last nine holes would be pretty tough.”
While The Met office says it has “moderate to low confidence” in its forecast for Saturday, it doesn’t look good. There is a “longer period of rain possible” and “potentially heavy bursts of rain at times.”
The good news for the field: Winds are expected to die down, with high temperatures around 64 degrees.
The forecast for Sunday’s final round looks better, with a chance of a “drier and brighter day” with light showers at times. Wind gusts of up to 20 mph from the southwest might return.