Daniel Brown came out of nowhere on Thursday afternoon at Royal Troon.
The 29-year-old Englishman, who had never made a start at a major championship before, is the early solo leader at the British Open.
Brown posted a bogey-free 65 on Thursday at Royal Troon in Scotland, which was just enough to overtake Shane Lowry and give him a one-shot lead to kick off the final major championship of the season. Brown, who entered the week ranked No. 273 in the world, is now the highest-ranked golfer to lead a major championship after the first round since 2016, when Andrew Landry took the early lead at the U.S. Open.
Brown is also the only player in the last three decades to shoot a bogey-free round of 65 or better in his first major start.
“It’s a great feeling. I couldn’t have written it up to be honest, but at the same time there’s a long way to go,” Brown said. “Trying to stay calm and collected for tomorrow.”
For much of the afternoon, it looked as if Lowry was going to be the overnight leader in Scotland. Lowry posted his best ever opening round at a major with his bogey-free 66, and his putter was locked in. At No. 10, he sank a nearly 24-footer for par, for example, after he missed both the fairway and the green on his approach. He birdied the 11th with another deep putt, and saved par with a nearly 12-footer at the 12th.
Then at the 18th, Lowry stuck it within just a few feet at to set up a fifth and final birdie, and take the solo lead once again.
He entered the clubhouse with the lead, which drew immediate flashbacks to his British Open win in 2019.
“I’m fully aware that I have a job to do over the next three days,” Lowry said. “Look, I’d give anything to win this tournament again. … This is obviously a great start to do that.”
Yet while Lowry had all of the attention, Brown was quietly working behind him. Brown made back-to-back birdies at the turn — including one on a ridiculously long putt that matched Lowry briefly in the lead.
Brown then birdied two of his final three holes of the day to overtake Lowry for good. His drive at the 18th just barely missed a bunker in what was a rare missed-fairway for the 29-year-old, before he threw a dart to set up an easy birdie putt and end his day.
Brown has made just two PGA Tour starts in his career, one of which was last week when he made the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open and finished 61st. The Englishman picked up his inaugural DP World Tour win last fall at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland. He won the English Amateur and the Dutch Junior Open before turning pro, too. He has two top-10 finishes on the DP World Tour this season, most recently at the SDC Championship in March.
As for most of the other big names in the field, Thursday wasn’t so great. Just look at Tiger Woods, who posted an 8-over 79 and fell 11 shots off the lead by the time he entered the clubhouse. It was just the latest example of Woods’ struggles on the course in recent years, and it set up what will very likely be the seventh major championship where he’s missed the cut or withdrawn from in his last 10 starts.
Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau both struggled, too. After their thrilling battle at the U.S. Open in North Carolina last month, neither played well on Thursday. DeChambeau shot a 5-over 76, and McIlroy opened with a 7-over 78. All three of them — along with Rickie Fowler, Will Zalatoris, Max Homa and Viktor Hovland — are likely looking at a short week in Scotland.
Justin Thomas will enter Friday alone in third after he carded an early 3-under 68 on Thursday morning. There are seven golfers, including Xander Schauffele and Justin Rose, tied in fourth at 2-under.
While it’s still very, very early, Brown is in position to pull off what would be a historic feat in Scotland this week should he lift the Claret Jug come Sunday afternoon. For now though, with an early tee time on Friday, he’s just focused on the quick turnaround to see if he can keep his game rolling.
“Food and then get to bed as soon as possible, I think, is the key,” Brown said. “And then get up tomorrow and hopefully do it all again.”
