Dan Brown smoked seven or eight cigarettes during his opening round of 66 at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, despite spectators being urged to maintain vigilance over fire risks due to scorched conditions. The 31-year-old son of a pig farmer finished tied 10th at the 2024 Open at Royal Troon and now shares the lead after day one at Birkdale, until Jackson Suber's late run to five under par.
Smoking on the course
Brown's habit of smoking on the golf course is a throwback to players like Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer, but it stands out in the current dry conditions. He said he has not been told to stop, but he makes sure to put out his cigarettes. 'I've not been told otherwise,' Brown said. 'But I've been making sure that they are [put] out [when finished]. Hopefully I can do it for the rest of the week. There might be a big drop-off by Sunday if I'm not allowed to. Stress levels go up, then the more I end up having.'
Personal background
Brown, who has 10 tattoos, said his father used to smoke, and he told him to stop as a child. 'Then he did stop and then I ended up starting,' Brown added. His tattoos are all small, the first obtained only three years ago.
Lessons from 2024 Open
Reflecting on his performance at the 2024 Open, Brown said he learned he can compete in a major. 'I feel like I'm a better player now to what I was back then, two years ago,' he said. 'So we will see. Obviously it's only Thursday, but hopefully I'm in a sort of similar area on the leaderboard come Sunday.' He described his opening round as a very nice day, noting that tee to green play was similar to his recent form, but a few putts dropped, which was a welcome change.
