Daniel Brown ran out of gas during the final round of The Open as Schauffele found an extra gear, but the Yorkshireman picked up his largest career pay cheque, qualified for Royal Portrush, and supercharged his global fan base.
Major Moment
Brown, who entered the final day one shot off the lead in his first-ever major, took home £246,000 in prize money. His previous highest prize was just short of £200,000 when he won the ISPS Handa World Invitational in 2023. That was his only DP World Tour win to date, but his finish at The Open will also have a huge effect on his career, especially in the short term.
Welcome to Royal Portrush
Brown’s top-10 finish guaranteed him a start in next year’s tournament at Royal Portrush, and his 185 Race to Dubai points earned at Troon have moved him into 56th position on the DP World Tour ranking and close to breaking into the world’s top 150. Brown did not look out of place striding along the fairways on Sunday alongside World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, and though he was unable to respond to Schauffele’s blistering 65, he can certainly hold his head up high.
2025 Open Thoughts
“If you had told me that I would finish inside the top 10 at the start of the week, obviously I would have been very pleased,” added Brown. “Portrush was in my head a little bit towards the back nine. Obviously, I took myself out of contention quite early, so that was playing on my mind a little bit. But it still didn’t really affect me in terms of hitting shots.
Confidence Boost
“This is quite big for my confidence,” he added. “I had seven weeks out with an injury to my knee not long ago, and I haven’t really got firing since. It’s nice to have a good result under my belt again.”
DP World Tour Play-Offs
With the Olympics taking place at the start of August, the Czech Masters on the 15th of August will be Brown’s next event. Let’s hope his form continues so we see him in action in the UAE later in the year for the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
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