Debutant Suber leads The Open after a five-under 65 at Royal Birkdale
Playing his first Open, the American posts the day's low round to lead Dan Brown and Sungjae Im by one; McIlroy toils.
Jackson Suber picked the biggest stage of his career to play the round of his life. The 26-year-old American, in his first Open Championship, fired a five-under 65 on Thursday to lead round one at Royal Birkdale, one clear of England's Dan Brown and South Korea's Sungjae Im.
Suber's card was anything but tidy, six birdies mixed with three bogeys, but the round turned on a single swing. On the par-5 17th he attacked from an awkward lie, bounding a long iron up onto the green to seven feet and rolling in an eagle that lifted him to five under. A steady par at the last gave him the first 65 of the week and the outright lead. It came with a warning attached: minutes earlier, Alex Smalley had also reached five under before hooking his tee shot out of bounds at the 18th and making a double bogey, a reminder of how quickly Birkdale can bite.
Brown and Im, out together in the calmer morning wave, matched each other with four-under 66s. Brown has form for fast Open starts, having led after the first round in 2024. A cluster sits at three under, among them Thomas Detry, Robert MacIntyre, former champion Francesco Molinari and Bryson DeChambeau, who is chasing a first weekend at a major all year.
The defending champion Scottie Scheffler raced to four under through six before the course reined him in, settling for a 68. The day's biggest name to struggle was Rory McIlroy, who could not buy a putt on the fast Birkdale greens and slid to the wrong side of par. With the draw favouring the early starters, the afternoon field had it tougher as the wind rose off the Southport coast.
