Open Championship 2024. Royal Troon. The tournament was going as usual except for two things. One, an unusual name, was near the top of the leaderboard. Daniel Brown, the namesake of the famous thriller writer, was making a charge on the leaderboard. Two, when the cameras zoomed in on him while walking down the fairway, Brown appeared to be smoking a dart. He stubbed it out in the fescue.

Two years is a long time, and Brown, then a DP World Tour pro, has secured a PGA Tour card. In between, he was seen handing a cigarette to a fan at the WM Phoenix Open. He also posed for a picture with some fans at the 2026 PGA Championship. It was moving day, and Brown was walking down the 12th fairway when the fans asked for a picture. Of course, three of them had a cigarette hanging on their lips. Now he is teeing off at the 2026 Open Championship, his third time playing the links major, and cigarettes are still a companion. The Englishman is candid about his habit and never tries to shy away from answering any question about his smoking habit.

“I’ve been told otherwise, but I’ve been making sure that they’re out,” Daniel Brown said at the mixed zone when asked whether he’s allowed to smoke at Royal Birkdale. The question was potent because there hasn’t been any rain and the course is firm. Spectators have been advised to be vigilant about anything that can spark a fire. Brown was cautious too but joked his performance also depended on smoking.

“Yeah. Hopefully, for the rest of the week [I’m allowed to smoke],” added Brown. “There might be a big drop-off by Sunday if I’m not allowed. I probably… sorry, Mom. I’m probably on like seven or eight a round, I would say.”

When the media asked Daniel Brown about the reason he smokes, he responded by blaming his nerves.

“Stress levels go up, then probably the more I end up having,” he added. “My dad actually used to smoke, and I always told him when I was a kid to stop smoking and then he did stop and then I ended up starting.”

The apology to Mom was more because of how publicized his smoking has become. That’s hardly the only unique thing about him. Brown is a college dropout who flirted with a career in YouTube golf before coming back to the professional scene. He also comes from a working-class background—his father was a pig farmer. Brown also has ten tattoos. But ripping darts on the course is quite rare in 2026–Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan both were known to be smoking during their rounds—and so Dan Brown gets asked about his smoking habit quite frequently.

In 2025, when that selfie of him and some fans smoking at the event went viral on social media, Brown said that he wanted to be discreet before because his parents were there at Royal Troon. But he is not alone. John Daly and LPGA professional Charley Hull have also smoked during events. In fact, many fans liked them for showing their true personalities on camera.

While smoking itself isn’t the big issue here, it’s the timing. Given the rude fan behavior at the 2025 Ryder Cup and the final round of the 2026 U.S. Open, the R&A has just announced The Open Commitment. Although it focuses more on spectator behavior than on player habits, it also brings golfers’ conduct into the spotlight.

However, neither The Open Commitment nor any player conduct rule prohibits anyone from smoking on the course, so Brown is fine. Event organizers set smoking rules based on local laws. Royal Birkdale and Knighton Heath, for example, banned smoking after the 2018 UK heatwaves. Besides speaking about his smoking habit, Brown also discussed the course with the media.

Daniel Brown on the course setup

Brown shot a four-under 66 in his opening round. The round included seven birdies and three bogeys, tying him for second. When asked whether he thought the course setup was a fair one, Brown admitted it was.

“It is. I think it’s just a fair golf course. There’s not too many humps and undulations in the fairway, so if you hit a good shot, generally it stays in the fairway, which I like. I think the wind kind of hasn’t really picked up. I thought after a few holes I thought it was going to get stronger and stronger, but it just kind of stayed the same for the majority of the day. Whether it picks up again this afternoon, I’m not sure. You’ve still got to play good golf even though the wind is obviously laying down a little bit right now.”

Players, including Scottie Scheffler, criticized the pin setups at Aronimink Golf Club for the 2026 PGA Championship. However, that’s not the issue this time at Royal Birkdale. Because the course setup is fair, Brown’s opening round mirrors his 2024 performance. He started with a bogey-free six-under-par 65 to lead the field. This time, he is tied for second, but will he be able to carry the momentum and win his breakthrough major title?