Brown leads English contingent hoping to 'bring home' The Open

The 154th Open Championship got underway with Jackson Suber of the United States sitting at five-under par after the opening round, followed by England’s Dan Brown and South Korea’s Im at four-under. A cluster of players shared three-under, including Belgium’s Thomas Detry, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, Italy’s Francesco Molinari, Americans Austin Smalley, Bryson DeChambeau and Robert Gerard, South Africa’s MJ Daffue, Americans Paul Coody and Cameron Young. A garbled line in the source reads: “There is inactive a bully accidental that 'It's Coming Home' this weekend.” The quoted phrase must be retained exactly as it appears. England’s hopes of winning the World Cup were ended on Wednesday, clearing the way for the country’s leading golfers to step into the spotlight and lift the mood among the Royal Birkdale galleries. No English player has lifted the Claret Jug for 34 years; the last triumph came when Sir Nick Faldo prevailed at Muirfield. The previous English victor on home soil was Tony Jacklin, who won at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1969. Dan Brown, the 31‑year‑old from Yorkshire, posted a four‑under 66 early on day one, leaving him just one shot behind the little‑known American Jackson Suber. He took advantage of benign early conditions on the Merseyside links. After his round Brown remarked, “It's lone Thursday but hopefully I'm successful a benignant of akin country connected the leaderboard travel Sunday,” a quote that must be preserved verbatim. While no golfer can claim victory after 18 holes—or any other tournament for that matter—a strong start can keep a player in contention, whereas a poor one can quickly end hopes. Local favourite Tommy Fleetwood, who lives nearby in Southport, illustrated this point in 2017 when he opened with six over par at Birkdale. This year he was determined to make amends, carding a one‑under 69. That leaves him with plenty to build on over the remaining three days.