It wasn’t impossible that a double dose of Brown could’ve been painted on the yellow Open leaderboards at Royal Troon this year.
Daniel Brown, playing in his first major, carded a stunning bogey-free 65 to head the leaderboard after day one of The Open Championship in Scotland. His challenge has held tough through 54 holes as he finds himself on the brink of debutant Open glory.
His brother Ben Brown was on the bag to help him navigate the South Ayrshire links, but there was every chance he could’ve competed against his brother, instead of teaming up with him.
Ben is a top amateur golfer himself. He won the Men’s English Amateur Championship at Ferndown last August, chipping in from 20 yards in dramatic fashion against Tyler Weaver in a playoff despite finding the trees beforehand.
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Daniel Brown: Golf star from Yorkshire could’ve been competing against his brother
Ben made the England’s Golf men’s squad for 2024. He’s played in the recent Yorkshire Amateur Championship, the Lytham Trophy, the Brabazon and the St Andrews Links Trophy – all of the top amateur events for the top amateur players in the UK.
And like his brother Dan, he also made it into the field for Final Open Qualifying at West Lancs earlier this month, representing Romanby Golf Club in Northallerton. He was on the cusp of the sport’s greatest tournament.
Despite the promise, it wasn’t to be for Ben after playing well in the first round, he withdrew in the second round and went to watch Dan’s progress. Dan holed a 20-foot putt on the last hole, the 36th hole of the day, to earn a spot alongside Sam Horsfield, Matthew Dodd-Berry and Masahiro Kawamura.
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“I think he saw that I was up towards the top, so he came over and watched the last few holes at West Lancs,” Dan said about his brother, looking back on Final Qualifying.
“He’s been struggling with a little injury, so he hasn’t been playing much. I said to him, I like having him on the bag. He’s good at reading greens, and he’s obviously a good golfer himself. So he can give good advice.
“To share my first major with him on the bag is nice.”
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