Dan Brown, who made a blazing start, is still in the race for the Claret Jug – even if he has faltered of late.
The unknown 29-year-old Yorkshireman missed three shots over his final two holes to leave American – and West Ham fan – Billy Horschel in the lead.
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But Brown eased the pressure of golf’s most famous trophy by secretly smoking a cigarette during his third round.
The world number 272 will head into Sunday’s final round at Royal Troon in tied second place — one shot behind Horschel.
In his first major appearance, Brown tried to keep his cigarettes private by hiding behind his caddie, his brother Ben, while he smoked.
And he added: “Smoking cigarettes is a bad habit of mine. I only smoke when I’m playing golf, so that might be a way of dealing with it.”
“I was trying to sneak them in. My parents are here, there are a lot of people watching and I don’t know how they’ll take it.
“It’s a bit bad to end it like this. The way I handled myself, I think I can go the right way.”
Brown certainly surprised the crowd as he hit a quick birdie hat-trick after missing his first shot.
And as things worsened, Brown – who was hoping to become the first Englishman to win the Open since Nick Faldo in 1992 – was the calmest man in town.
Who is Dan Brown?
by David Facey
Dan Brown’s family should have warned him in advance that he would soon be put in a coffin because of smoking.
And a visit to the dreaded Coffin Bunker could easily have sounded the death knell on his hopes of becoming Open champion.
He made bogey after finding the sand protecting the par-three postage stamp eighth hole at Troon.
This was quickly followed by another at the tenth attempt – and it looked like the 29-year-old’s chances of winning a major at his first attempt were fading away.
But the Yorkshireman, who loves the odd fag – especially when he thinks the TV cameras aren’t focused on him – breathed new life into his challenge with a powerful run in the closing stages.
Brown finished first or second on the leaderboard all three days of the Open. But most people walking off the course were asking the same question – who is this guy?
As a youngster, the qualifier from Northallerton was regarded as one of the less talented members of a powerful Yorkshire junior team – led by 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick. But it turned out he was simply a late bloomer.
After turning professional seven years ago, he struggled in second- and third-tier tournaments, and managed to break into the main European circuit, the DP World Tour, two years ago.
A stunning win at the ISPS Handa World Invitational 11 months ago sealed his place on the Tour.
But his performance at the Open was quite a shock. He finished tied for 61st at the Scottish Open last week after missing the cut six times in a row.
So it was no surprise he was such a big outsider before shooting 65 in his first round.
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He started as a 750-1 outsider but now ranks ahead of players such as world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and longtime leader Shane Lowry.
He is at three under par with Justin Rose and four other players who dropped three shots on their last two holes, including a double-bogey after a brutal break off the tee on the 18th hole.
Horschel comes into the final day as the Open’s leader and Rahm pulls away from the lead after a hellish dayBrown said: “It’s a bit disappointing because of the finishing. I grounded it and you lose three shots despite not hitting a single bad shot. None of them were bad tee shots.
“So it’s a little disappointing, but at the beginning of the week if you would have told me that going into the final round of the Open I’d be one or two points off the lead I would have broken your arm.
Horschel, who was in the group behind Brown and Lowry, shot perhaps the best shot of the day, a two-under-par 69 in the worst of conditions.
This was all the more impressive because Horschel and his partner Rose spent much of the time imitating teenage skateboarders, with their hats turned from back to front.
Not a good thing for two golfers with a combined age of 80!
Horschel, 37, is a huge Hammers fan, with the club’s logo printed on his golf bag, and is close friends with former Irons captains Mark Noble and Declan Rice.
So at least he gets a free pass from West Ham fans.
Rose wasn’t in his best form. But he also shot a two-over-par 73 and is tied for third at three under par.
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Horschel said: “It was the best round I’ve ever had in a major tournament.”
“I’ve worked my whole life to be in this position. I’ve wanted to be here my whole life, and I’m embracing it.”
“I see myself holding the trophy, walking through the crowd and being congratulated as the Open champion.
“I’ll do it again tonight.”
Meanwhile, overnight leader Shane Lowry – who took a two-shot lead into the third round – failed to match Brown’s performance in the final stages.
The 2019 Open champion missed shots on the 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 18th holes.
Thus the Irishman, renowned as a prolific front-runner, slipped from eight under to one under – and found himself back in the chasing pack.
Mistakes were inevitable with heavy rain and wind causing confusion and Troon showed his strength to the later starters. But there weren’t that many mistakes.
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Those eliminated at the end of the day felt a bit sore, as the golf gods handed a big advantage to those who failed to perform well in the first two rounds.
Quite quiet conditions at the start of the game led to an early score in the mid-60s.
That leaves the American pair of Russell Henley, Sam Burns and South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence at two and three over to three under – and tied for second.
He must have loved sitting in the players’ lounge and watching the leaders come back.
U.S. Open champion Xander Schauffele also shot a 69 on the day to complete a six-pack that will start the final day at two under.
Read more at The Scottish Sun
It will be interesting to see how these starters perform when it really heats up.
Even more interesting would be to know whether Dan Brown will be able to complete an open story, which even his namesake novelist would hesitate to write.
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Who are golf’s most famous wags?
The world’s top golfers enjoy incredible lifestyles – and their wags lead thrilling lives, too.
Open leader Billy Horschel reveals bizarre reason for keeping West Ham golf bagHere are some of the most high-profile beauties…
- A masters golfer rushed home after his recent victory to be with his wife, who was about to give birth to their first child.
- Playing with a three handicap, the sports journalist can give tough competition to her peers.
- This down-to-earth beauty married a superstar golfer in front of Stevie Wonder, Chris Martin and Niall Horan.
- A former gymnast, she has been her husband’s support for 14 years – he even has a tribute to her on his golf balls.
