It is quite something to challenge at the Open and simultaneously represent a potential fire hazard. Dan Brown’s propensity to smoke on the golf course is a throwback – Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer enjoyed a puff mid-round – yet not particularly notable in ordinary circumstances.
This is no typical Open. The scorched conditions at Royal Birkdale mean spectators are being asked to “maintain vigilance” over anything that could constitute a fire risk. Players are under precisely the same instructions. Brown reckons he smoked “seven or eight” cigarettes while en route to an excellent 66, which placed the 31-year-old in a share of the lead until Jackson Suber’s late run to five under par. Brown seems unlikely to find himself at the fag end of proceedings by the Open’s conclusion.
