This Dan Brown may like writing, too; he simply hasn’t written any bestsellers … but.
That, in fact, may change come Sunday night at Royal Troon, the place Brown, a 29-year-old Englishman who performs on the DP World Tour, will look to writer one of many Open Championship’s final underdog tales.
Brown, who shares a reputation with well-known novelist Dan Brown (“Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons”), shot 6-under 65 Thursday to seize sole possession of the first-round lead by a shot over Shane Lowry.
Whereas Brown had no points within the situations, greater names struggled mightily.
Whereas Brown isn’t ranked as little as Ben Curtis was when he captured the claret jug in 2003 as world No. 396, he isn’t far off, getting into this week No. 272 within the Official World Golf Rating. And oh, by the best way, Brown isn’t even the one Daniel Brown in professional golf; there’s one other Englishman born 4 years earlier who performed a few EuroPro Tour occasions two years in the past.
This Daniel Brown spent 5 years enjoying the Problem Tour and different developmental circuits round Europe – together with one thing known as the Evolve Professional Tour, the place Brown captured two titles in 2018 – earlier than securing his DPWT card by way of Q-Faculty in 2022. He then received in his rookie season on the DPWT, by 5 photographs over Alex Fitzpatrick on the 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational not too removed from Troon, Scotland, in Galgorm, Northern Eire. His sophomore marketing campaign, nonetheless, hasn’t been practically as profitable. Brown missed 9 weeks earlier this 12 months after having a cyst faraway from his left knee, derailing any momentum he had from a T-4 on the SDC Championship in early March. He lastly snapped a string of seven straight missed weekends by making the minimize eventually week’s Genesis Scottish Open. However even then, he may solely handle a solo 61st.
“I used to be enjoying effectively main as much as the event, so scores haven’t actually mirrored it just lately,” Brown mentioned Thursday night.
Brown, who earned his spot on this week’s Open area by way of last qualifying, arrived at Royal Troon listed at 500-1 odds to win – and on his bag, his brother, Ben, who tried to qualify for the Open himself. However judging by his bogey-free efficiency on Thursday, one which was capped by a assured quick birdie make from 8 toes on the final, Brown is already defying the chances; he’s the lowest-ranked participant to guide after 18 holes of a serious since world No. 624 Andrew Landry did so on the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, a 12 months earlier than Brown turned professional after an novice profession that included titles on the 2015 Dutch Junior and 2016 English Beginner.
Simply don’t count on Brown to snap a photograph of the leaderboard, at the least for proper now.
“I’m positive some individuals will get them, however not me,” Brown mentioned. “I’m going to attempt to form of maintain my toes on the bottom a bit and tackle the job once more tomorrow.”
Again dwelling in Northallerton, England, and at Brown’s dwelling membership, Romanby Golf and Nation Membership, they’re certainly cheering on the Open’s newest Cinderella story.
