It was only the first round of the British Open, and unheralded Englishman Daniel Brown knows too well that he has to maintain his focus to give himself a chance after taking a shock lead on July 18.
The 29-year-old carded a six-under 65 at the 152nd Open at Royal Troon in Scotland, as Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods were among the big names to struggle.
Brown, the world No. 272, birdied two of the last three holes to lead by one from 2019 winner Shane Lowry.
"Amazing, isn't it?" he said. "I was nervous on the first tee, obviously it being my first Major, but I hit a few nice shots early, so I kind of got settled into the round pretty quick.
"I'm going to try and sort of keep my feet on the ground a bit and take on the job again tomorrow."
McIlroy posted a seven-over 78 with his hopes of ending a 10-year wait to win another Major floundering, as most of the field struggled in the wet and windy conditions on Scotland's west coast.
Of the 156 players in the field to complete their rounds, only 17 posted a score under par.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
CHEW HAS 'BIG SHOES TO FILL' AS FAS GEN-SEC
But those who worked with Sailors' ex-CEO are positive, supportive of his appointment
Messi and Ronaldo's Ballon bursts after omission from 30-man list
PARIS For the first time since 2003, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi have been included in the nominees for the men's Ballon d'Or award, which was announced on Sept 4, with England's Jude Bellingham among the 30 players named.
Drug test for dead footballers not a prank
When the dope testers turned up at Norway's training base ahead of their Nations League opener against Kazakhstan and presented the list of players they wanted to screen, the coaching staff thought they were being pranked.
SPALLETTI WANTS TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE
Italy players' passion after Euro debacle has made coach smile again ahead of France tie
Not Australia's night after 1st loss to Bahrain
I GOLD COAST Bahrain stunned Australia 1-0 after a late Harry Souttar own goal in the opening match of the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup at Robina Stadium on the Gold Coast on Sept 5.
MALONE DIDN'T DO IT ALONE
New US track star credits his mother for pushing him after winning 2nd Paris medal
Leary claims gold, just as a fortune teller predicted
Three years after surviving a horrific bike accident, Australian Paralympic swimmer Alexa Leary claimed her second gold medal in a world-record time in Paris on Sept 4.
Design guru Newey set to join Aston Martin
Adrian Newey, Formula One's star designer, is set to join Aston Martin in 2025 with the team expected to confirm the move next week.
I've lived a lifetime in this one year
PGA Tour player blog - Scottie Scheffler
FINALLY, A SLAM SEMI FOR PEGULA
Rib injury key to breakthrough, as she beats Swiatek for her first win in 7 Major q-finals