Debutant Suber leads Open with stunning 65, solid start for Scheffler

SOUTHPORT, England: Debutant Jackson Suber led The Open ‌with a stunning five-under opening round of 65 on Thursday as fellow Americans reigning champion Scottie Scheffler and big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau also made their mark.
England’s Dan Brown and South Korea’s Im Sung-jae had shared the lead after early rounds of 66 at a scorched Royal Birkdale, before Suber ​moved top of the leaderboard.
Scheffler, bidding to become the first man since Padraig Harrington in 2008 to retain the title, carded a two-under 68 with DeChambeau a stroke better off.
Suber carded six birdies but his memorable moment came on the par-five 17th where a stunning second shot from next to a bunker to six feet resulted in a rare eagle.
He is the fourth player to post a round of 65 or lower on his Open debut.
“This was only my fifth day ever in Europe! So I’m definitely learning the links course,” Suber said. “I settled a little more on the back nine, and felt more comfortable.
“The challenge is good.

You can hit great shots that don’t end up well, and bad shots that end up great. It’s ‌very cool where ‌the ball can go.”
Brown and Im took advantage of ideal scoring conditions early ​on ‌in ⁠the seventh ​group ⁠out before the stiff breeze started kicking in off the Irish Sea.
Puffing regularly on cigarettes and making doubly sure to dispose of them carefully in the tinder-dry conditions, Brown made only eight pars in an up-and-down round, with seven birdies, including a superb up-and-down at the 17th.
“It’s only Thursday so hopefully I’ll be kicking around at the weekend in the later groups,” Brown, who led after the first round at Royal Troon in 2024, said.
World number one Scheffler began as he finished last year at Royal Portrush — making it look