Ranked 272 in the world rankings and a major debutant to boot, Daniel Brown has just come through a meteoric rise over the past few days to become a recognised household name.
Stunning the golf world after he carded a six under par first round at Royal Troon on Thursday, to take a dramatic clubhouse lead at the last kick – much to the delight of my colleagues couped up in the media centre until the back of 10pm that night. He enjoyed a bogey-free round as he announced himself to the wider public, who had not heard of the Englishman, 29, before this week.
Coming from a family background in pig farming, Brown maintained hope throughout the remainder of the competition that he could bring home the bacon. Ultimately, that proved to be a venture too far for the man who is believed to have been very close to quitting the professional tour some five years ago.
Brown did achieve a tied tenth in the end, though, which is a result to be proud of for sure. His final round on the South Ayrshire coast saw him shoot a three over 74, as he concluded his four-day stint level par, with his 19-year-old younger brother by his side as his caddie.
He was joined by fellow countryman, Matthew Jordan, in being highly satisfied with his week’s work. Australian player Adam Scott was the third player to be tied inside the top 10.
“Poor front nine,” an initially downcast Brown reflected. “That's basically it. I struggled on the front nine really. I don't think I scored as well as the guys around me on the front nine. The right-to-left wind I couldn't really get to grips with that, but then felt a lot more comfortable when the wind was off the left on the back nine. A little bit to work on with a strong right-to-left breeze.
“At the minute it's probably a little bit more disappointment, but when I reflect on it, I'll be obviously very pleased I would have thought. But yeah, like I said, just the front nine just didn't quite get it going all week really.
“If you would have told me that (top 10 finish) at the start of the week, obviously I would have been very pleased. It's a little bit - I wanted to do better and be higher up the board, but yeah.
“I had like seven weeks out with an injury with my knee not long ago, and then I haven't really got firing since. It's nice to have a good result under my belt again.
“I’ve got three weeks off now, but I'll be working hard. Prague is the next one, so hopefully I can be fit and ready for that one.”
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The Eagle: An Open Championship Diary from Royal Troon
Brown’s tied finish for tenth presents the added bonus that he will be back at The Open next year in Portrush.
Asked if qualification for back-to-back Opens was on his mind on Sunday morning, he replied: “It was a little bit towards the back nine. Obviously I took myself out of it quite early. So that was playing on my mind a little bit. But still didn't really affect me in terms of hitting shots and what have you.”
Another nice bonus, as if his week needed much more, Brown was paired with the world’s best golfer Scottie Scheffler.
“He's a really nice guy,” he said when addressing what that experience was like. “Obviously I've never met him before, so I wasn't too sure how it was going to go, but yeah, we had a good time and it wasn't quite how we both wanted it to end, but yeah, it was fun.”
The Herald’s coverage of The 152nd Open at Royal Troon is brought to you in association with Fairmont St. Andrews.
