 |
|
 |
||
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|||
Macon MFA 1805 A N Missouri St Macon, MO 63552 660-385-5753 Shelbina MFA 215 W Maple St Shelbina, MO 63468 573-588-4140 CLICK - MFA CONNECT |
|
Printable Page
07/16 09:45 CDT 'Sorry, Mum': Cigarette smoker Dan Brown lights up British Open
with another strong first round
'Sorry, Mum': Cigarette smoker Dan Brown lights up British Open with another
strong first round
By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) --- Dan Brown is lighting it up again at the British
Open.
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 on Thursday.
After 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.
Brown 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
British 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.
He 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.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
