The first day results for the British Open are in and an unfamiliar name has appeared on the leaderboard. Daniel Brown, making his major debut, is leading the field.
Brown, a member of the European Tour, also known as the DP World Tour, has missed the cut in six of his past eight starts. But that didn't stop him from shooting a bogey-free 65 in the first round of the Open Championship to take a one-shot lead at Royal Troon.
Brown, playing in his third PGA Tour event, surprised the golf world with his performance at the Scottish Open after finishing 61st. Whether he can maintain that level of play on Day 2 remains to be seen, but at least for now he can rest easy at the top of the leaderboard.
Sporting News has everything you need to know about the English golfer.
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Who is Daniel Brown?
Brown is a DP World Tour golfer from Northallerton, England. He is currently ranked 272nd in the world, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the sport's greatest underdog stories.
The 29-year-old started his professional career in 2017 and has played on the DP Tour, its developmental rival, the Challenge Tour, and other lower-level tournaments. This is Brown's second year on the DP Tour, but it was his first time playing a major tournament at a level beyond his experience level.
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daniel brown nickname
While Brown rose to fame at the 2024 British Open, his name is pretty common. So common, in fact, that his name is the same as Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code. This led broadcasters to make jokes about the famous British Open call-in book, and the name became a nickname for the British golfer.
For now, he may be known as the author of “The Da Vinci Code.” But if he can hold onto the No. 1 spot, Brown will be vying with his twin brother, Dan Brown, for global supremacy of the Dan Brown title.
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Daniel Brown Golf Schedule
Here's everything you need to know about Brown's career (since 2017).
2017
Brown reached the finals of the European Tour Qualifying School, an annual golf tournament that allows professional golfers to compete for spots on the DP Tour and Challenge Tour. He ultimately qualified for the Challenge Tour the following year.
2018
After qualifying for the Challenge Tour, Brown played in 13 tournaments but made only two cuts. He finished 142nd. He also played on another lower-level tour, the Evolution Pro Tour, and won two titles.
2019-2021
For the next three years, Brown played on the PGA European Professional Tour, a third-tier tour sanctioned by the DP Tour. In 2021, he finished fourth on the final money list, which allowed him to skip the European Tour Qualifying School and automatically qualify for the Challenge Tour again.
2022
In his second appearance on the Challenge Tour, Brown finished 30th, which prevented him from qualifying directly for the DP Tour. His best result this year was a second place at the Hopps Provence Open in October 2022.
In November, Brown once again competed in the European Tour Qualifying Tournament, but this time he finished third, thereby earning official status on the 2023 DP Tour.
2023
Brown won his first tournament on the DP Tour, the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland, in August 2023. Despite this, he is ranked only 50th this season after 28 tournaments.
2024
Because Brown won a DP Tour title in 2023, he was saved from relegation to the Challenger Tour and retained his membership in the top flight for the next season.
Brown, ranked 75th on tour heading into the British Open, earned his first major berth via the final qualifying tournament, which offers 16 spots over 36 holes at four different venues in the United Kingdom.
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British Open Rankings
The 2024 British Open will feature 157 golfers from around the world, but not all of them will make it past the first two days of competition. Only the top 70 players and ties will advance to the second round on Friday.
After the first round, 81 players made the cut. It is worth noting that Tiger Woods (+8) and Rory McIlroy (+7) did not qualify after the first round. Here are the top 10 golfers after the first day of competition at the British Open:
| rank | Golfer | nation | Scoring after first round |
| 1 | Daniel Brown | England | -6 |
| 2 | Sean Lowry | Ireland | -5 |
| 3 | Justin Thomas | USA | -3 |
| T4 | Alex Nolen | Sweden | -2 |
| T4 | Nicola Hoggard | Denmark | -2 |
| T4 | Justin Rose | England | -2 |
| T4 | Russell Henry | USA | -2 |
| T4 | Xander Schauffele | USA | -2 |
| T4 | Mackenzie Hughes | Canada | -2 |
| T4 | Joe Dean | England | -2 |
