Dan Brown gets fast start at Open but may not make fag end of tournament

It is quite something to challenge at the Open and simultaneously represent a potential fire hazard. Dan Brown’s propensity to smoke on the golf course is a throwback – Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer enjoyed a puff mid-round – yet not particularly notable in ordinary circumstances.

This is no typical Open. The scorched conditions at Royal Birkdale mean spectators are being asked to “maintain vigilance” over anything that could constitute a fire risk. Players are under precisely the same instructions. Brown reckons he smoked “seven or eight” cigarettes while en route to an excellent 66, which placed the 31-year-old in a share of the lead until Jackson Suber’s late run to five under par. Brown seems unlikely to find himself at the fag end of proceedings by the Open’s conclusion.

“I’ve not been told otherwise,” said Brown when asked whether he was permitted to puff away. “But I’ve been making sure that they are [put] out [when finished].

“Hopefully I can do it for the rest of the week. There might be a big drop-off [in golf standard] by Sunday if I’m not allowed to. Stress levels go up, then the more I end up having.

“My dad actually used to smoke. I always told him when I was a kid to stop smoking. Then he did stop and then I ended up starting.”

Brown, the son of a pig farmer, shot to prominence during a terrific run at the 2024 Open. He eventually tied 10th at Royal Troon. There is more to his story than most golfers; Brown has, for example, 10 tattoos. “They’re all quite small ones,” Brown said. “The first one I got was probably only three years ago so I’ve gone a bit mad really. I don’t really want any more.”

Another tilt at this major is far more appealing. Understandably, Brown was asked what learnings he had gathered from 2024. “Basically just the fact that I feel like I can compete in a major and in an Open Championship,” he said. “I feel like I’m a better player now to what I was back then, two years ago. So we will see. Obviously it’s only Thursday, but hopefully I’m in a sort of similar area on the leaderboard come Sunday.

“That was a very nice day. Tee to green, it’s similar to how I’ve been playing recently. But today a few putts dropped, which was nice to see because I’ve not seen that for a while.”