Scotland, July 19: Unheralded English golfer Dan Brown has taken a surprise lead after the opening round of The Open at Royal Troon. In his debut appearance, the world number 272 capped off a remarkable round with a birdie putt in fading light to card a bogey-free 65, finishing at six under par.
Brown, from North Yorkshire, leads by one stroke over 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry, who also delivered a bogey-free performance despite challenging wet and windy conditions. Lowry’s 66 places him in second, while American Justin Thomas is two shots back after a round of 68 featuring seven birdies.
Englishman Justin Rose, who qualified for the tournament, ended his round with 11 consecutive pars to finish at two under par. He shares this position with fellow Englishman Joe Dean, European Ryder Cup stars Alex Noren and Nicolai Hojgaard, and American Xander Schauffele.
Matt Wallace briefly held the lead at four under but fell back after a triple-bogey seven on the ninth. He is now tied at one under with compatriot Matt Fitzpatrick, world number one Scottie Scheffler, and Australian Adam Scott.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, last week’s Scottish Open winner, started with a one-over 72, ahead of Spain’s Jon Rahm and England’s Tommy Fleetwood.
In contrast, Rory McIlroy endured a tough day, ending with a seven-over 78 and finding himself 12 shots off the pace. The world number two admitted he struggled with the conditions and aims to focus on making the cut in the next round.
Three-time champion Tiger Woods also faced difficulties, bogeying the last hole to finish with a 79. Woods acknowledged the need for more preparation and training to improve his performance.