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Brown leads English contingent hoping to ‘bring home’ The Open
England’s Dan Brown made an impressive start to the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, shooting a four-under-par 66 to share second place after the opening round. His performance, alongside several other English players under par, has raised hopes of ending the country’s long wait for an English Open winner, particularly on home soil.
American Jackson Suber leads on five under, one stroke ahead of Brown and South Korea’s Im Sung-jae, while Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre is among a large group on three under. Local favourite Tommy Fleetwood opened with a one-under 69, but Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick both finished two over; England has not had an Open champion since Nick Faldo in 1992, or a winner on English soil since Tony Jacklin in 1969.
In short
- Dan Brown is one shot off The Open lead.
- Eight English players finished the first round under par.
- McIlroy and Fitzpatrick face work to make the cut.
Explained simply
The Open Championship is golf's oldest major tournament, one of the four most prestigious competitions in professional golf held annually. Winning it brings global prestige and is considered one of sport's greatest achievements.
England has not had an Open winner since Nick Faldo in 1992, a gap of over three decades. More significantly, no English player has won the tournament on English soil since Tony Jacklin in 1969, a drought that has made any English success particularly meaningful.
This year's Open is being held at Royal Birkdale, a historic English golf course. The combination of the tournament being staged on home soil and several English players in contention has generated renewed hope of ending the long wait for an English champion.