Englishman Dan Brown took a shock lead at The Open after round one in Scotland.
The world No.272 is playing in his first Open having only qualified two weeks ago and rolled in a sensational put on the 18th hole as the sun was setting to complete a bogey-free round at six-under 65.
He was delighted when speaking to the press after the day was done.
He said: “It did get dark out there and got a little bit tricky but the wind dropped as well.
“You’ve got those bright yellow scoreboards out there so it’s hard to miss, but I felt comfortable with my game out there.
“I’m very excited, but you’ve got to keep your feet on the ground, so I’m just going to go out and do the best I can [tomorrow].”
Daniel Brown overcame the conditions at Troon to lead The 152nd Open. pic.twitter.com/tpRxPV1Foo
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2024
Brown sits one shot ahead of 2019 champion Shane Lowry, while American Justin Thomas is at -3 after hitting seven birdies in his round.
Seven more players sit on two-under-par, including Justin Rose, Joe Dean, Alex Noren, Nicolai Hojhaard and Xander Schauffele.
Matt Fitzpatrick is also in the mix on -1 alongside world No.1 Scottie Scheffler and Australia’s Adam Scott.
It was a frustrating day for Rory McIlroy, who posted a seven-over scorecard, meaning he is 12 shots off the lead after just one day.
He admitted it was just a tough day for him on the course, as did Tiger Woods, who was one shot worse off than the Northern Irishman.
McIlroy said: “A difficult day. I felt like I did OK for the first part of the round and missed the green at the Postage Stamp and left it in there and made a double.
“But still I felt like I was in reasonable enough shape being a couple over through nine.
Friday afternoon Featured Groups. pic.twitter.com/C67sEp2vWK
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2024
“Thinking I could get those couple of shots back, try to shoot even par something like that. And then hitting the ball out of bounds on 11… making a double there. E
“Even though the wind on the back nine was helping, it was a lot off the left, I was surprised by how difficult I felt the back nine played.
“Just one of those days where I didn’t adapt well enough to the conditions.”
Friday presents a new opportunity for every player, but it is a long way back for both Woods and McIlroy.
The former, who remains an icon of the sport even though he is past his best, added he is feeling better but already has his sights set on next year following another dismal round.
He added: “I’m physically feeling a lot better than I did at the beginning of the year. At the end of last year, it was tough, and I haven’t played a whole lot. I think that, as the year has gone on, I have gotten better.
“I just wish I could have played a little bit more, but I’ve been saving it for the majors just in case I do something pretty major and then take myself out of it. Hopefully next year will be a little bit better than this year.”
