Brilliant Daniel Brown is a bolt from the blue - as Yorkshireman ranked 272nd in the world LEADS the Open after posting six-under 65

Unheralded Yorkshireman Daniel Brown played the round of his life in the evening gloom to edge ahead of the world’s best at Royal Troon.

The little-known pro from Northallerton — ranked a lowly No 272 in the world — capped off his round of 65 with a birdie at the 18th to move a shot clear of Shane Lowry at the top of the leaderboard. 

Brown’s round of six birdies and no bogeys, which came to an end a little after 9.30pm, was made even more remarkable by his recent run of six missed cuts preceding last week’s placing of 61st at the Scottish Open.

The 29-year-old’s only win on the DP Tour came last year in Northern Ireland at the Handa Invitational. As a junior, he played county golf in Yorkshire with future US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick.

Brown wasn’t the only English surprise with Joe Dean, a part-time delivery driver with Morrisons earlier this year, shooting a 69. Fans chanted ‘Deano, Deano’ when he walked off the 18th having shown the form that has seen him rise from 2,930 to 254 in the world rankings.

Major winner Justin Rose, who like Brown and Dean had to qualify for this year’s Open, shot a bogey-free round of 69 earlier in the day when others struggled in the wind and rain.

The former US Open and Olympic champion wasn’t given automatic entry into this year’s Championship but put ego aside to enter the Burnham & Berrow qualifying competition, a decision justified by shooting two early birdies and 16 pars here.

Rose even survived a tricky test at the ‘Postage Stamp’ eighth, when he drove into the sand after being distracted by a fan accidentally dropping an umbrella.

‘I’ve probably got a bit more gratitude being out there having had to qualify,’ admitted the 43-year-old. ‘I had to put in that little bit of extra hard work to make sure I was here.

‘I’ve dreamed about winning the Open ever since I was a kid. You’ve got to be in it to win it. I was happy to keep it clean out there and be bogey-free. It could have been even better if I’d been a little warmer with the putter.’

On the incident at eight, when he glared at the galleries after being put off his swing, Rose explained: ‘It started to rain a little bit, so there was a lot of noise with the umbrellas, and I think right in my backswing someone must have dropped an umbrella.’

Rose, who switched putters last week for a ‘change of feel’, was one of only a handful of players here who finished in the red. ‘It was a firm but fair challenge,’ he added. ‘It was a stiff breeze but you could hang tough. Any wind higher than 15mph and the elements dictate.’

Any score of par or below was commendable and 20-year-old Scottish amateur Calum Scott delighted his friends and family with his 71. Scott, who hails from Nairn in the Highlands, teed off at 6.46am and shot four birdies and four bogeys.

‘I tried to get to bed around 7.30pm because it was an early start but I was probably up until midnight!’ revealed the student from Texas Tech. ‘I couldn’t have asked for more.’

Not every British player was as happy, Tyrrell Hatton complaining about the course after shooting 73. ‘There’s a few holes that are playing really long,’ said Hatton. ‘They just try to make it longer to make it harder, which doesn’t make it the most enjoyable test.’

Robert MacIntyre, hoping to be the first Scot to win the Open since 1999, was relieved to birdie the last to finish his opening round at one over. Tommy Fleetwood disappointed with a 76.