Daniel Brown claims 1-shot lead after opening round of British Open in his major debut

The wind caught just about everyone off guard Thursday in the British Open. It came from the opposite direction off the Irish Sea, accompanied by occasional rain, and made Royal Troon a tougher test than anyone was expecting.

Turns out that wasn't even the biggest surprise.

Daniel Brown made his major championship debut a memorable one. He birdied two of the last three holes for a 6-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead over Shane Lowry with just enough spectators left in the Scottish twilight to celebrate his amazing day.

It was getting too dark to take a photo of his name atop the leaderboard, and that doesn't interest the 29-year-old from England, anyway.

"I'm going to try and keep my feet on the ground a bit and take on the job again tomorrow," Brown said.

A one-time winner on the European tour, he arrived at Royal Troon having failed to make the cut in seven straight tournaments dating to March until a couple of good events. One was the final qualifying to earn a spot in his first major, the other at the Scottish Open when he made the cut and finished 61st.

Dundas, Ont., native Mackenzie Hughes was the top Canadian, shot 2-under 69 for a share of fourth. Listowel, Ont., native Corey Conners closed his round even par, while Abbotsford, B.C., natives Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin laboured to 4-over finishes.

WATCH | Canada's Hughes off to hot start following Round 1 of British Open:

But this day was all about the wind — yes, it was fierce, but it was different. Instead of players trying to make a score on the downwind front nine and keeping it together on the way back, it was tough from start-to-finish.

Rory McIlroy certainly found that to be the case. He shot 78 with a pair of double bogeys. Ditto for U.S. Open