GOLF: Debutant Suber leads British Open after stunning 65

SOUTHPORT, England — American debutant Jackson Suber produced a remarkable opening-round performance to seize the first-round lead at the 154th Open Championship on Thursday, carding a five-under-par 65 at Royal Birkdale.

Suber, playing in his first Open Championship, surged to the top of the leaderboard ahead of England's Dan Brown and South Korea's Im Sung-jae, who each posted four-under 66 earlier in the day. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler opened with a two-under 68, while fellow American Bryson DeChambeau finished one stroke better at three-under 67.

Before arriving in England, Suber had never played Royal Birkdale and said he had only watched videos of the course online. Despite his lack of experience on links golf, he handled the challenging layout with confidence, recording six birdies, three bogeys, and a spectacular eagle on the par-five 17th after hitting his second shot to within close range from approximately 230 yards.

Only Craig Stadler's opening-round 64 in 1983 stands as a lower first-round score at Royal Birkdale than Suber's 65.

Suber admitted he became more comfortable as the round progressed and embraced the unpredictable nature of links golf, noting that both good and bad shots can produce unexpected results.

Brown also enjoyed an impressive start, making seven birdies despite the dry and breezy conditions. The Englishman, who led after the opening round of the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, hopes to remain in contention throughout the weekend.

World No. 1 Scheffler looked poised for another strong major performance after making four birdies in his first six holes. However, a bogey at the seventh and several missed birdie opportunities limited him to a two-under 68. Scheffler said he was pleased with his ball-striking and remained confident heading into the remaining rounds.

DeChambeau also positioned himself among the early contenders with a three-under 67 despite closing with bogeys on the 14th and 18th holes. He said he enjoyed the opening round and hopes to remain in contention through the weekend.

DeChambeau shares fourth place with Belgium's Thomas Detry, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, Italy's 2018 Open champion Francesco Molinari, and Americans Alex Smalley and Cameron Young.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy struggled to find consistency and settled for an even-par 72 after birdieing the 18th hole.

Among the English hopefuls, Tommy Fleetwood delighted home fans with a one-under 69 at the course where he grew up playing as a child. Veteran Justin Rose, however, endured a difficult start, posting a three-over 75.

Royal Birkdale presented a much different test from its previous Open Championship in 2017, with hot weather leaving the course firm, fast, and noticeably browner than in previous years. The dry conditions created fast-running fairways and added another layer of challenge for the field during the opening round. -Reporting by Martyn Herman in Southport; Editing by Ken Ferris and Christian Radnedge/Reuters