Dan Brown and Sungjae Im Lead The Open at Royal Birkdale After First Round

England's Dan Brown and South Korea's Sungjae Im posted matching 4-under-par 66s to share the lead after the opening round of The Open Championship on July 16 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Bryson DeChambeau, Alex Smalley, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, Italy's Francesco Molinari and Belgium's Thomas Detry each shot 67. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler finished at 68.

DeChambeau and Scheffler played in the same group. DeChambeau used a full set of 3D-printed irons, birdied the par-5 17th hole to reach 4 under, then bogeyed the 18th. Scheffler reached 4 under through six holes before bogeying the seventh and making pars the rest of the way.

Smalley, 29, birdied four of the first five holes plus the ninth and tenth before closing with a double-bogey 6. He has posted four top-10 finishes in 2026, including a runner-up at the PGA Championship, but has yet to win on the PGA Tour. Brown said he returned to his original putter and began holing putts on the final nine to 10 holes.

Scheffler's streak of 78 consecutive made cuts ended the previous week at the Genesis Scottish Open. More than half the field remained on the course when reporting closed, with afternoon starters including Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai, Wyndham Clark, Shane Lowry, Adam Scott, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka.