The first cigarette was lit before Dan Brown had even left the opening tee box. Mind you, when your playing partner has just needed to hit a third ball to get his round going, it’s bound to provide a certain amount of nervous energy, especially when you’re starting the day a shot off the lead.
‘Get one sparked up, Browny lad,’ came the cry from behind the yellow rope, dripping in local twang, as Brown strode off, Marlborough in mouth, to look for his ball in the rough. When he found it, he placed the butt on the grass and doused it with water, careful not to turn Royal Birkdale into a blazing forest fire.
The scorched conditions of these sun-blazed links has led to both spectators and players being told to ‘be vigilant’ over putting out what’s left of their cigarettes with the same guidance expected for the rest of the weekend. Brown has taken that advice on board more than most.
Brown, the son of a pig farmer, estimated he smoked ‘seven or eight’ during his excellent opening round of 66 that left him just a shot shy of first-day leader Jackson Suber at four under par.
When Daily Mail Sport left him after nine holes of his second round of 71 on Friday, he’d already burned through five, one on every odd-numbered hole. Each time, the remnants flicked into the long grass and covered in water.
‘Maybe nine or ten today,’ he smiled. ‘There’s a lot of stress out there.’
Dan Brown smoked ‘nine or ten’ cigarettes as he made his way around Royal Birkdale on day two
Each time he finished a cigarette, the remnants were flicked into the long grass and covered in water
When your loop of 71 includes four bogeys, two birdies and an eagle, it’s no wonder he needed a few to keep him on an even keel.
The only surprise was that he didn’t break his pattern and squeeze in another on the eighth after three-putting from four feet for a double bogey on the previous hole, which saw him drop off the leaderboard screens with the likes of Lucas Herbert charging past him en route to equalling the course record.
Brown’s habit makes him a real throwback to a bygone age when plenty of the game’s great walked the fairways through clouds of smoke. Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer enjoyed a drag during their rounds. John Daly could see off more than 20 across 18 holes.
Charley Hull went viral at the 2024 Women’s US Open thanks to a picture of a fag hanging from her mouth and now has fans asking her to sign their own cigarettes.
‘On the whole, people seem to love it, don’t they,’ he said. ‘Strange, really. It’s not very common nowadays. I think 20, 30, 40 years ago it was a really common thing. But it’s died out of the game.’
The Birkdale crowd certainly loved him for it. ‘Is he having a snout,’ one lad asked his mate as he pointed at Brown walking off the seventh tee, dart in hand. ‘I love it. A man of the people.’ Brown, who finished tied for the 10th at Royal Troon two years ago, signed another spectator’s cigarette packet along the way.
‘Give us a fag, Dan,’ another shouted on the ninth. It’s not the first time he’s had spectators trying to bum a smoke and he’s previously obliged. Not this time. ‘I needed them,’ he said.
If Brown deserved any, it was the one he enjoyed as he walked down the 18th. Behind him lay the 17th green, where he’d just stuck it to eight foot from 230 yards away and holed the putt for eagle to move, briefly, back to four-under only to find the fairway bunker on the last and miss a 15-footer for par.
‘Bogeying the last was obviously a bit sour but, on the whole, I don’t think I had my best stuff today. A pretty average day all round. I think most of the guys that have made the cut are still right in it with a good one tomorrow. Hopefully, I can get back in the mix.’
And, so, Brown heads into the weekend five shots off the lead. Plenty to do, of course, but his chances by no means up in smoke.
