​SOUTHPORT, England – Dan Brown, the golfer, not the author, is crafting another spirited run at claiming the Claret Jug. Two years ago, he was a media darling as he grabbed the first-round lead and hung tough, playing with Scottie Scheffler in the final round and finishing T-10. This time, the 31-year-old Englishman shot 4-under 66 to share the early lead with Sungjae Im. What did he learn from being in contention at Troon?The fact that I feel like I can compete in a major and in an Open Championship. I feel like I’m a better player now to what I was back then two years ago. So we’ll see,” he said.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBrown still hasn’t kicked his nasty smoking habit. He apologized to his mom and admitted he smoked probably seven or eight during the round on Thursday.“Stress levels go up, then probably the more I end up having,” he said.More: Our hub for The Open: Videos, stories and moreHow dry are the fairways at Royal Birkdale? Brown said he’s been making sure that he stomps out his cigarette butts so that the course doesn’t catch fire.Brown’s game caught fire with three straight birdies starting at No. 7 and seven in all on the day.Brown got his start playing golf with his father and grandfather, who brought him to Bedale to learn the game, and recalled attending the Open at Birkdale as a kid in 2008.  He spent four years playing amateur golf because he never felt good enough to turn pro. Brown won the Dutch Junior in 2015. He won the English Amateur at Ganton Golf Club in 2016, and he won the North of England Open Amateur. He also represented England in the Home Internationals and against Spain. He admits that those wins were the key to continuing his growth in confidence. He finally turned pro in 2017.Daniel Brown of England and Sungjae Im of South Korea shake hands after finishing their round on the 18th green on day one of the The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 16, 2026 in Southport, England.Im, 28, broke 70 in the first round for the first time in six career starts at the Open. He also did most of his damage on the second nine, coming home in 32.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt’s been an unusual season for Im, who suffered a setback as he prepared for the 2026 PGA Tour season, missing the first seven events with a wrist injury. He didn’t touch a club for more than a month and a half (returned at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March), he said, an unprecedented move in his 10-year pro career. He held the lead after the first three rounds at the Valspar Championship but shot 74 to finish T-4, three shots back of the winner, Matt Fitzpatrick. He was also T-5 at the Truist Championship and T-9 at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. With his iron game in decline, he turned to caddie Will Wilcox, a former Tour pro turned caddie, for some help on Tuesday and his swing tip worked for at least one day. Knowing Im, he likely headed straight to the range to work on his swing some more.What