Daniel Brown proving doubters wrong with stellar British Open

TROON, Scotland — If you expected him to go away, you weren’t alone.

Everyone — except maybe Daniel Brown — expected Daniel Brown to go away.

When Brown took a one-shot lead after shooting a 6-under 65 in the opening round Thursday, he was expected to go away, give way to the star players on the British Open leaderboard on Friday at Royal Troon.

When Brown hung tough in the difficult conditions of Friday’s second round with a 1-over 72 to earn himself a spot in the final pairing for Saturday’s third round, two shots behind 36-hole leader Shane Lowry, he was expected to go away then.

Brown hasn’t gone away.

The 29-year-old journeyman Englishman enters the final round of the 152nd British Open at 3-under, one shot out of the lead held by Billy Horschel with 18 holes to play .

“I suppose a lot of people probably thought I was going to be shaking this morning and really nervous,’’ Brown said after shooting 73 on Saturday. “But I’ve been absolutely fine. I’m proud of how I handled myself, but obviously a bit of a sting on them last two holes through not really hitting a bad golf shot. Links golf got the better of me on them two holes. But yeah, overall pleased, I suppose.’’

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Brown bogeyed 17 and then got a bad break on 18 when his tee shot came to rest at the edge of a pot bunker, leaving him with an awkward stance in the sand. He did the right thing and took his medicine, punching it down the fairway.

But he hit his third into a greenside pot bunker and compounded his problems, taking double bogey and relinquishing the one-shot lead he had.

But …

“We’re still there,’’ Brown said. “It was difficult. I’m a little bit disappointed with how the last two holes went because I did so well so get to where I got to. It’s a bit nasty to finish like that.

“After the last two holes, it’s a little bit of a kick in the teeth, I suppose, but if you’d have told me I was going to go into the final round of the Open one or two shots back, I would have ripped your hand off.’’

Brown, who’s playing in his first career major championship, has taken some ribbing this week about the fact he has the same name as the author of the book, “The Da Vinci Code.’’

He isn’t an author. But if he wins this thing Sunday, some author might write a book about him.

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Brown got into the field this week because he made a 20-foot putt on the final hole of 36-hole qualifying. He came into this tournament having missed seven of his past eight cuts on the DP World Tour.

Those are some key elements that make for a Cinderella story.

Twenty years ago at Troon, an unknown journeyman named Todd Hamilton appeared to be an accidental tourist when he got himself into a playoff against Ernie Els, a two-time U.S. Open winner who’d won the Claret Jug two years earlier at Muirfield.

Hamilton was expected to wilt in the caldron of the pressure.

He didn’t.

He stared down Els and took home the Claret Jug.

“The way I’ve handled myself today,’’ Brown said, “I think I can have a good go tomorrow.’’

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The biggest day of Brown’s professional life awaits Sunday.

“I’m a bit of a realist,” Brown said after his round Friday. “I’m not going to start getting ahead of myself and thinking that, ‘Oh, my God, I’m leading the Open, I’m second in The Open,’ or whatever. There are still 36 holes left. I might have a good round tomorrow and then I might have a stinky round on Sunday. You just don’t know.”

He had a good round Saturday and hopes to avoid the “stinky’’ round Sunday.

Brown has been “sneaking’’ a cigarette or two during the rounds, calling it “just a bit of a bad habit that I’ve got into [as] a coping mechanism.’’

Asked why he’s sneaking them, he said, “My mom and dad are here. There’s a lot of people watching. I don’t know how people are going to take it. They do know [I smoke], but I don’t do it in front of them.’’

After Saturday’s round, he was heading to the home he’s renting with several of his mates, who he said are having a “quite boozy’’ time “but not on my end.’’

“I’ve been staying quite clean and they’ve been enjoying themselves, playing cricket and being in the hot tub and having a few beers at nighttime, which has been good fun,’’ he said.

Hopefully for Brown and his buddies, the fun has only just begun.

“Yeah,’’ he said. “Fingers crossed.’’

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