Duck to water

Jackson Suber only played his first round of links golf on Monday. Three days later, he leads The 154th Open.

The 26-year-old from Tampa, Florida, carded a five-under-par 65 to seize the early initiative at Royal Birkdale on his first visit to Europe.

Englishman Daniel Brown, who led at this stage at Royal Troon two years ago, is a shot back alongside Sungjae Im, while Robert MacIntyre and Cameron Young spearhead a clutch of players on three-under after an intriguing day.

As ever, nature played its part. The wind picked up in the afternoon, while controlling the ball on the parched fairways posed its fair share of challenges.

But the man who tackled them most effectively showed that sometimes, it is not all about experience.

Suber leads charge of American debutants

Fourth place at the RBC Canadian Open punched Suber’s first-ever ticket across the Atlantic and his round was an eventful one.

He went birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey between 5 and 8, leaving him back where he started at the turn.

Back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 got him going and he followed up with more at 14 and 16 before saving his best for the following hole.

Suber went right off the 17^th tee but crucially missed the bunker. The spiralling approach from the rough caught the front edge of the green and rolled to within seven feet and his eagle putt was successful, catapulting him to the summit.

“Things just really started going after the birdie on 10,” Suber said. “I just felt like the momentum was really in my favour.

“I just kept the ball in good spots and didn't put much pressure on my game to make pars.

“This is my fifth day here. I've played 27 holes before I played the first round. I feel like I've just been playing good the last few months and it’s just knowing that good golf is going to take care of everything, and really trusting my caddie to figure out where we're going to hit it.”

Suber was not the only American first-timer to shine.

Pierceson Coody started in style, chipping in from off the green on the 1^st. That set the tone for an eye-catching round, with four more birdies following as he finished two shots behind Suber.

Alex Smalley, meanwhile, stood on the 18^th tee box on five-under-par before slicing his drive out of bounds to the right of the fairway. A double-bogey followed but a 67 remains an excellent start, a score matched by another Stateside debutant in Ryan Gerard.

Brown and Im make early inroads

Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im set out together in game seven and both made hay in the calmer morning winds.

Brown was the slower of the two to get going, bogeying the 4^th, before catching fire around the turn with three consecutive birdies at 8, 9 and 10.

An eventful back nine included four birdies and two bogeys as he finished on four-under-par. And having experienced life towards the top of the leaderboard at Troon, when he went on to finish T10, Brown hopes he can continue to challenge.

“I feel like I can compete in a major and in an Open Championship,” he said. “I feel like I'm a better player now to what I was two years ago. So we'll see.”

Im’s best finish at The Open also came at Troon, a share of seventh, but he will have designs on beating that after an impressive opening round.

The 28-year-old South Korean made just one bogey, while successful putts of 12 and 20 feet at 4 and 10 respectively were among the highlights of his five birdies.

Bryson finds his groove

A group containing Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton is always going to be worth watching. And the heavyweight trio did not let the galleries down.

The reigning Champion peeled off four birdies in the first six holes but did not card another, with bogeys at 7 and 17 checking Scheffler's progress.

"I felt like I could have got a little bit more out of it," he said. "But if I continue to do what I did with the ball-striking, I'll be in a good spot as the week goes on."

DeChambeau is a shot better off and could arguably be even higher, with some missed short putts featuring in a round that was excellent from tee to green. He did not carry the manner of a man who has missed the cut in all three majors so far this year.

Hatton’s sole bogey of an otherwise steady round came at 18 and dropped him to one-under-par, a score shared by his compatriot Tommy Fleetwood.

The Southport native got the crowd going with a birdie at 5 but slipped down the field with bogeys at 10 and 12.

Fleetwood recovered well, moving back into the red with a brilliant birdie at 17, and will hope to carry that momentum into Friday.

Justin Rose, by contrast, has a mountain to climb from five-over-par. Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy, who could not get going as part of a marquee afternoon trio, also have ground to make up from two-over-par.

Champions lurking in the midst

Suber has shown what debutants are capable of but there is a wealth of Claret Jug-winning knowhow lurking within reach.

Francesco Molinari triumphed on burnt fairways at Carnoustie eight years ago and excelled in the heat once more, recovering from a bogey at the 1^st to card a three-under-par 67.

Collin Morikawa will begin Friday a shot further back, bogeys at 11 and 18 proving costly after he shared the lead on -4 at one stage, while Henrik Stenson is also two-under, a double-bogey at 11 the Swede’s only blemish.

Shane Lowry, Champion in 2019, had a rollercoaster back nine. Three consecutive bogeys left him one-over but he bounced back by picking up shots at 16 and 17, before saving par out of a fearsome greenside bunker at the last, to ensure he will begin his second round on one-under-par.