Who Is Daniel Brown? No One Could Imagine This Englishman Leading the British Open

The 29-year-old had showed little form in recent months yet surged late Thursday evening.

Daniel Brown finished in near-darkness Thursday at Royal Troon, and in the lead. / Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports

TROON, Scotland — Daniel Brown began his round late this morning in Scotland having held the overnight lead at the British Open and seeking to stay in contention in his very first major championship.

And it is more than fair to ask just who is this Englishman who teed off in the second-to-last group and finished in near darkness just after 9:30 p.m. local time. He didn’t tee off until 4:16 p.m.

Brown, 29, showed virtually no form in recent times that would suggest he’d be in contention, even for a day.

He had made just one cut in his past eight starts on the DP World Tour, a tie for 61st last week at the Genesis Scottish Open. He had to go through final qualifying just to make it into the field, leading the way on July 2 at West Lancashire.

“Yeah, amazing, isn't it?” Brown said. “I was nervous on the first tee, obviously it being my first major, but I hit a few nice shots early, so I kind of got settled into the round pretty quick.”

His score of 65 exceeded his own expectations, he said. He led Shane Lowry by a stroke and was three ahead of Justin Thomas overnight.

“Very much so,” Brown said. “I was watching the Open before I went out on TV in the house, and you’re kind of looking at how tough it is. There’ s only a few guys at 1 under, 2 under and you obviously know it’s going to be tough.

“Thankfully, the wind died a little bit for our back nine, so it got a bit more scorable, I think.”

Brown has been a pro since 2017, toiling on various minor tours around the world. In 2022, he competed on the Challenge Tour, which is Europe’s version of the Korn Ferry Tour, and finished 30th on the points list, earning conditional status on the DP World Tour before finishing third to earn full status at the qualifying tournament.

Last fall, he won the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland and finished 50th in the Race to Dubai standings.

But his form has been poor for most of this year, due in part to a cyst in his knee which kept him off the course for several weeks. A good week here would obviously be a big boost although Brown said he arrived with few expectations.

“I wouldn't say I had any really,” he said. “I just kind of try to go day by day. I'm not a huge goal-setter, to be honest. I was playing well leading up to the tournament, so scores haven't really reflected it recently. But, I felt comfortable and probably a bit more calm than you normally would be with it being your first major.

“It’s obviously a nice position to be in. Enjoy it, but just look forward to (Friday).”

Winning a major in a first start is rare. Keegan Bradley was the last to do it at the 2011 PGA Championship. Prior to that it was Ben Curtis at the 2003 Open. Before that? Francis Ouimet at the 1913 U.S. Open.

Lowry made two birdies and a bogey early in his round to take the lead as Brown was 1 over through his first four holes.