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Blackcaps LIVE: Sport Nation ExtraSuber-sonic! Shock British Open leader at Birkdale
Ian Chadband, AAP • July 17th, 2026 8:42 am
Jackson Suber, on Birkdale's 18th green, was the surprise leader after the British Open first round | Photo: AP
Jackson Suber, a US debutant making his first ever trip to Europe, has upstaged all the stellar names to lead the 154th British Open after a stunning five-under opening 65 at Royal Birkdale that's left even his in-form superstar compatriots Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau trailing.
As the gloom began to gather late on Thursday night on the celebrated Lancashire links, Rory McIlroy had to battle hard just to keep his head above water, birdieing the last hole at 8.45pm (local time) to ensure he was still in the hunt at two-over par.
Suber, a 26-year-old from Tampa, grabbed his moment late in the afternoon at the par-five 17th with a remarkable approach from next to a bunker to within six feet, ending up with a rare eagle.
It helped propel him to become just the fourth player ever to post a round of 65 or better on his Open debut, and left Suber sounding a little incredulous as he noted: "This was only my fifth day ever in Europe! So I'm definitely learning the links course."
England's Dan Brown, while puffing away on "seven or eight" cigarettes, and South Korea's Sung-jae Im had earlier shared the lead after 66s on the baked links, while Scheffler, bidding to become the first man since Padraig Harrington in 2008 to retain the title, carded a two-under 68 with DeChambeau a stroke better off.
Scheffler had looked set to tear up the course as one of the early starters cashing in a cloudless, windless conditions, birdieing four of the first six holes to be outright early leader.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made a more than satisfactory start to his British Open title defence | Photo: EPA
But with the breeze gusting up for the later starters, Birkdale eventually bared its teeth to the extent the 30-year-old was pegged back to 68 - good enough to earn him an place among the top 13 but not quite where he'd hoped.
He'd started immaculately, holing from 14ft at the second, seven feet at the third, five feet at the fifth, before a whopping 43-footer at the sixth put him out on his own.
From there, it got more diffficult. "There were really only a few shots I hit offline today," he sighed. "I didn't get up-and-down on seven and then missed the fairway on 10 where I'm in a pot bunker, and then on 17, I end up in 'that' spot."
'That' spot turned out to be embedded in thick grass, which eventually cost him a bogey. "It looked like somebody had potentially stepped on it, but nobody would fess up," shrugged Scheffler. "Apparently nobody did."
Im had recorded four birdies in the last nine holes, while Brown made seven birdies on his final 11-hole stretch, being careful to completely stub out his cigarettes on the turf to ensure they weren't a fire hazard. "Sorry, Mum," he apologised, admitting he'd not proud he's still smoking.
But English sports fans had needed a bit of cheer following their World Cup soccer misery the night before against Argentina, and they found an unlikely hero in Brown, who had also led after the opening day at Royal Troon in 2024.
Kazuma Kobori was the best of the Kiwi contingent at the British Open, finishing his opening round at even par to be tied for 39th alongside the likes of Justin Thomas, Min Woo Lee, and Viktor Hovland. Meanwhile, Daniel Hillier and Ryan Fox are both tied for 87th at two-over par.
The recent heatwave and lack of rain had given Birkdale a very different brown-tinged look, with the fairways running lightning fast compared to its last edition on the British Open rota back in 2017 when American Jordan Spieth lifted the Claret Jug.
English sports fans needed a bit of cheer following their World Cup soccer misery the night before against Argentina, and they found an unlikely hero in co-leader Brown, a cigarette-puffing 40-year-old who had seven birdies in his uneven round. He had also led after the opening day at Royal Troon in 2024.
Local Southport hero Tommy Fleetwood, cheered to the rafters on every hole, shot a 69, while another luminary to impress early on was Jon Rahm, who also finished at one under, but McIlroy, with four birdies and six bogeys, struggled all afternoon.
Tommy Fleetwood on playing The Open at Royal Birkdale | Sport Nation
