Dan Brown may share a famous author's name, but despite his impressive start to the Open, the British writer refuses to consider writing his own major story.
The world No. 272 made it through the final qualifying round to make his debut at Royal Troon, where he shockingly took the lead in the first round on Thursday night with a 5-under 66 before battling through tough conditions to shoot a 1-over 72.
Brown entered the weekend at five under along with compatriot Justin Rose, just two shots behind halfway leader Sean Lowry, but he didn't put any extra pressure on himself as this was his first major tournament.
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Daniel Brown said his goal is to stay grounded as he shot a 6-under 65 in the first round to lead
“I've been pretty relaxed, actually,” Brown said. “I guess I've also been a little bit realistic. I know I'm not going to start getting cocky and thinking, 'Oh my god, I'm leading at the Open,' or 'I'm second at the Open,' or anything like that.
“There are 36 holes left. I could have a good score tomorrow and a bad score on Sunday. You never know. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully that will get me a good score on the weekend, too.”
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Highlights from the opening day of the Royal Troon Open as Daniel Brown leads Sean Lowry by one shot
Brown graduated from Qualifying School in November 2022, qualifying for the following season of DP World Tour competition, having won the ISPS Handa World Invitational in his rookie season and qualifying for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Earlier this year, he tied for fourth at the SDC Championship, then gradually fell away after leading on the weekend, finishing tied for third at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in December.
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ISPS Handa World Invitational Final Round Highlights, Dan Brown's Breakthrough Success on DP World Tour
Brown finished 61st at the Genesis Open in Scotland last week, his first cut in four months and the only one of his last eight starts where he played all 72 holes, but his opening 65 did give us a glimpse of future potential.
“I wouldn't say my form has really changed,” Brown said. “I think it's just a matter of results. I had a little knee injury and took a couple weeks off and then didn't really play much after that.”
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“I didn't play badly, I just felt a little rusty from being off for six or seven weeks. So I feel like it's showing. I just had to be patient, and when I was coming off an injury, I had no patience at all.”
Rose continues pursuit of Grand Slam honors
Brown and Rose were both five under, with Rose making two birdies in his final three holes in the worst possible weather conditions on Friday for a three-under 68, and both had a chance to become the first British champion since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992.
Justin Rose, like Dan Brown, qualified for the British Open via the final qualifying tournament
“That was a really fun way to end it,” Rose said of his birdie on the final hole. “Obviously I celebrated a little bit and realized I didn’t have to hit another shot and could really let my guard down and enjoy the day because it was just a really hard, good round of golf.
“It's obviously special for the crowd to end the race this way, with the stands packed on Friday afternoon. It's really nice to enjoy a race like this.”
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Justin Rose birdies the final hole at Royal Troon Golf Club to shoot three-under 68 at the Open
Asked if he had any advice for the Browns, Ross added: “The chemistry between us is probably a lot bigger than the differences, in the sense of playing tomorrow, to do well, you’ve got to have fun playing.
“Being as free as possible and giving yourself the best opportunity to perform at your best level and just embracing the fun and the childhood dream. From that perspective, I think it's very similar.”
Who will win the 152nd Open? Watch it live on Sky Sports this week. Sky Sports Golf will continue to broadcast live, or watch The Open and more top sporting events with NOW.
