British Open Golf: Daniel Brown takes shock lead after opening round

LONDON: English journeyman Daniel Brown birdied the last hole to card a first-round 65 and lead the British Open by one shot from Ireland’s Shane Lowry on Thursday.

The 29-year-old Brown, a one-time European Tour winner who came through qualifying to earn his place in the year’s final major, took advantage of benign late conditions.

He sank an eight-foot birdie putt at the last to move top of the leaderboard with a bogey-free round.

Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, birdied the last hole to complete a flawless five-under-par 66 and move two shots clear of American Justin Thomas, who took the early clubhouse lead at the 152nd Open with a 68 at a blustery Royal Troon.

“Actually, I holed a putt out there today and I thought that’s the first time I’ve led the Open for five years,” Lowry told Sky Sports.

“I love this tournament and I’d dearly love to give myself a chance to win it again. If I can keep holing putts I can be dangerous.”

American Xander Schauffele, Swede Alex Noren, England’s Justin Rose and Joe Dean, American Russell Henley, Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard and Canadian Mackenzie Hughes finished on two under with world number one Scottie Scheffler among a group a further shot back.

Several big names struggled, however, in testing conditions on the Ayrshire coast, not least US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau who was six over after 11 holes before making eagle on the 16th to finish at five over.

World number two Rory McIlroy also endured a poor start to his bid for a fifth major title after carding a miserable 78.

Thomas, who has never had a top-10 finish at the Open and missed the cut last year, birdied the second, fourth and seventh as well as the Postage Stamp par-three eighth.

A double-bogey six at the 12th and a bogey at 13 stalled his progress but he holed a 17-foot par putt at the 15th and birdied the last two holes. Agencies

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