​SOUTHPORT, England — Dan Brown is lighting it up again at The Open Championship.One of the few smokers in golf, Brown went through “seven or eight” cigarettes during his 4-under 66 that gave him the clubhouse lead midway through the first round at Royal Birkdale.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter weeks of sunshine in this northwest corner of England, the fairways here are baked and parched — making them a potential fire hazard from discarded cigarettes.“I’ve been making sure that they’re out,” the 31-year-old Englishman said reassuringly.Not that he sounds too proud of a habit that makes him stand out on the circuit, but which he feels is needed to relieve some stress.“Sorry, Mum,” he said with a cheeky smile.The burly and bearded Brown is an interesting character, not least because of the 10 tattoos on his body — three of which are of little birds — and his YouTube channel called “BeersForeBogeys” which has around 4,000 subscribers.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBrown first came into widespread consciousness in golf in 2024 when, as the world No. 272, he shot a 6-under 65 for the outright first-round lead in his Open debut at Royal Troon.His name — one he shares with the author of “The Da Vinci Code” — was a headline writer’s dream and his dry humor proved popular, too. Brown was tied for second place heading into the final round at Troon and wound up in a tie for 10th.That experience taught him he could compete with the best players in the world.“I feel like I’m a better player now to what I was back then, two years ago,” he said. “So we’ll see.”Brown arrived at the Open with no form from his first year on the PGA Tour — he missed the cut in his last four events — but has immediately taken to the Birkdale links.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe made seven birdies, including three straight around the turn, after being 1 over after seven holes.“Today a few putts dropped, which was nice to see,” Brown said, “because I’ve not seen that for a while.”(Hopefully), I’m in a sort of similar area on the leaderboard come Sunday.”That might mean continuing to have a smoke during his rounds.“There might be a big drop off by Sunday if I’m not allowed,” he said.