Dan Brown, the golfer, not the author, is absolutely on fire, shooting a 4-under 66 to snatch a share of the early lead at the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. This isn't just some flash in the pan either; two years ago at Troon, he famously grabbed the first-round lead and battled hard, even playing with Scottie Scheffler in the final round to finish T-10. Now, the 31-year-old Englishman is back, feeling like a better player and ready to prove it.
Brown's Fiery Game (and Habit)
Let's get real, Brown's game is scorching, but so is his nicotine habit. Dude admits he smoked probably seven or eight cigarettes during Thursday's round, blaming it on those stress levels climbing. He even apologized to his mom for it, which is classic. But hey, he’s at least being responsible, making sure to stomp out those butts because the fairways at Royal Birkdale are dry. And while we don't condone smoking, you can't deny the man's game caught fire with three straight birdies starting at No. 7, racking up seven total on the day. Brown's been grinding since he was a kid, learning the game from his father and grandfather at Bedale, and even saw the Open at Birkdale back in 2008. He went amateur for four years because he never felt pro-level good, but those wins at the Dutch Junior in 2015, the English Amateur in 2016, and the North of England Open Amateur clearly stacked up his confidence. He finally went pro in 2017, and now he's showing the world what he's made of.Sungjae Im's Unprecedented Comeback
Sharing that top spot is Sungjae Im, the 28-year-old South Korean who just broke 70 in the first round for the first time in his six career Open starts. And man, did he bring it home, doing most of his damage on the second nine to come in at 32. This season has been wild for Im; he suffered a wrist injury preparing for the 2026 PGA Tour season, missing the first seven events. He didn't even touch a club for over a month and a half, returning in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. That's an unprecedented move in his 10-year pro career! Despite the setback, he's shown flashes, holding the lead after three rounds at the Valspar Championship before finishing T-4, and nabbing T-5 at the Truist Championship and T-9 at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. His iron game was a bit off, but he made a smart move, turning to caddie Will Wilcox, a former Tour pro, on Tuesday for a swing tip. It clearly worked, at least for day one! Knowing Im, he's probably already hitting the range to keep that momentum going. So, day one is done, and these two are leading the charge. What's next? More high-stakes golf, that's what. Brown's planning to "absolutely bugger off" for the afternoon, probably for another cigarette, but tomorrow he's back at it. Im will likely be grinding. They're both looking to keep this run alive, and honestly, after what they showed today, it's gonna be epic to see if they can hold onto it.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.