Quick Summary: Two years ago a world number 273 named Dan Brown walked onto Royal Troon, chain-smoked his way round, and led The Open on his major debut. Everyone assumed it was a one-off. On Thursday at Royal Birkdale he did it again — a bogey-free 66 that put him top of the English charge at 4-under, one off the lead. Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, limped home seven shots back and on the wrong side of the cut line.
Who Is Leading the English Contingent at The Open?
Dan Brown, and it is becoming a habit. The 31-year-old from Yorkshire fired a bogey-free, three-birdie 66 to sit at 4-under, leading the home charge and sitting one shot off surprise overall leader Jackson Suber.
He was one over through seven holes, then caught fire, rattling off four birdies in five holes to surge up the board. Brown shares second with South Korea's Sungjae Im and Americans Ryan Gerard and Alex Smalley, but among the home players he is out in front, with Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton a few shots back at 1-under.
Who Is Dan Brown, the Golfer?
One of golf's most unlikely leading men, and one of its very few smokers. Brown got through "seven or eight" cigarettes during his round, which raised eyebrows given how bone-dry and flammable the Birkdale fairways are after weeks of sunshine.
It is part of what makes him a cult figure. He looks less like a modern, gym-honed tour pro and more like a bloke who wandered off a municipal course and started beating the best in the world.
His rise came from nowhere. Brown announced himself at the 2024 Open at Royal Troon, where he led after Round 1 on his major championship debut as the world's 273rd-ranked player. He won the English Amateur and the Dutch Junior Open as a youngster, picked up his first DP World Tour title in Northern Ireland in 2023, and has built a career on grit rather than hype.
Why Did Rory McIlroy Struggle?
The putter let him down, and badly. McIlroy arrived as one of the favourites and this year's Masters champion, then opened with a 2-over 72 that left him seven shots off the lead and staring at the cut line. After closing the Scottish Open with a 64 the week before, it was a jarring reversal.
His long game was not the issue so much as his work on the greens, which deserted him at the worst time. A wild round ended in wild fashion, and he now has real work to do on Friday. For a man chasing a seventh major, opening the year's final one by fighting to make the weekend is not the script anyone wrote.
How Did the Other Big Names Fare?
Some thrived, some sank on a firm and fast Birkdale. Scottie Scheffler, shaking off his shock Scottish Open missed cut, opened with a 2-under 68 and briefly led early, so the defending champion is right in the mix.
Bryson DeChambeau answered Nick Faldo's criticism of his links game with a 67. Robert MacIntyre, Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa all posted 68 or better.
Then there is the leader nobody saw coming. American Jackson Suber, playing his first ever week of links golf, shot a 65 to lead outright, having never been to Europe before. The Round 1 leaderboard is a strange one: an unknown American on top, a chain-smoking Englishman leading the home hopes, and one of the pre-tournament favourites already in trouble.
Can the English End the 1992 Drought?
There is a real chance this year, and Brown is not the only reason. No English golfer has won The Open since Nick Faldo lifted the Claret Jug in 1992, a 34-year wait that gets raised every July.
This time the English hopes run deep. Brown leads the charge, but Tommy Fleetwood, the Southport local roared on by a home crowd, is well placed at 1-under and desperate for a first major. Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton are in the field too.
Worth remembering, though, that it is only Thursday, and Brown's 2024 run faded badly after a hot start. Leading early is not the same as contending on Sunday. But an in-form Fleetwood on home soil, backed by Brown's fearlessness and a stacked English contingent, gives the home fans more to work with than they have had in years.
The Raw Read
There is something perfect about Dan Brown leading The Open. In an era of launch monitors, protein shakes and players who treat golf like a science experiment, along comes a bloke smoking eight cigarettes a round and out-playing the lot of them. He is the golfer every weekend hacker quietly roots for, and the fact he keeps doing it at the sport's biggest event makes it better.
The flip side is McIlroy, and it stings. This is a six-time major champion, the reigning Masters winner who completed the career Grand Slam last year, and he opened the season's final major putting like a weekend hacker. Now he is scrambling to make the cut while an amateur-looking underdog leads the home charge. The greens do not care what is on your CV.
Brown will probably drift back to the field, because that is what usually happens. But for one day the smoking Yorkshireman went out and beat players who train like astronauts, and did it his own way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is leading the English players at The Open 2026?
Dan Brown, who shot a bogey-free 66 to reach 4-under, one shot off the overall lead and ahead of the rest of the English contingent.
Who is Dan Brown?
A 31-year-old English golfer known for leading The Open on his major debut at Royal Troon in 2024, and for being one of the few smokers in professional golf. He has one DP World Tour title.
How did Rory McIlroy do in Round 1?
He struggled to a 2-over 72, hurt by poor putting, leaving him seven shots off the lead and on the wrong side of the projected cut line.
Who leads the Open Championship 2026 overall?
American Jackson Suber, at 5-under, one clear of Dan Brown and Sungjae Im, in his first ever week playing links golf.
When did an English golfer last win The Open?
Nick Faldo in 1992. No Englishman has won it since, a 34-year drought the home players are trying to end.
How did Scottie Scheffler start?
The defending champion opened with a 2-under 68 and briefly led early, recovering well from his missed cut at the Scottish Open the week before.