Injuries and ailments. They are part and parcel of life. Daniel Brown is no exception to this. He, out of the blue, has come into the headlines by occupying the leader’s spot after battling the unpredictable wind patterns and scoring a bogey-less 6-under 65 during the opening round at the Royal Troon. With this Brown has become the first-ever men’s golfer to go bogey-free with a score of 65 or better in the first round of his maiden major.

The 29-year-old battled with an ailment earlier this year but his performance in the Open Championship‘s Thursday round is the proof that he’s gotten much better, if not completely recovered. But what is this ailment that Brown had to battle against?

In March, the 29-year-old told the golf enthusiasts via his Instagram account that he had a cyst in his knee. The medical condition caused the 29-year-old to leave the greens for a good nine weeks and is the reason for his struggles during the year. In the caption, addressing his cyst, Brown said, “MRI scan on my knee done today been playing up since Qatar, have a complicated cyst in my knee and thankfully it’s just going to be a bit of R&R to stop the pain ready to now crack on and work towards Singapore next week before some much needed time off!”

The Englishman earned his spot in his first-ever major through Final Qualifying at West Lancashire after making a 20-foot birdie on the final hole and avoiding the playoff with Ben Schmidt. A noticeable thing here is that Brown crushed Sergios Garcia‘s dream of competing in the 2024 Open Championship in the same qualifier by two strokes. Following his win, Brown addressed his struggles during the year by saying that those things are common: “There’s no player in the world who doesn’t go through a spell where they’re struggling.” Adding to it, he said what he did differently this time: “I haven’t been playing badly – I’ve just been impatient, and I had to be patient here.”

Even though Daniel Brown has fully or mostly recovered from his cyst and has been performing exceptionally well in the Open Championship, his journey to his maiden major appearance has never been easy. Even after turning pro, the struggle persisted.

How has Daniel Brown’s journey been on the greens since turning pro in 2017?

If we reflect on the journey of Daniel Brown since 2017, then it starts with competing on various small tours. One such tour is the Evolve Pro Tour; in its 2018 season, the Englishman emerged as a victor twice. He has also been a part of the PGA EuroPro from 2019 to 2021. Later, he became a full-time member of the 2022 Challenge Tour. Brown earned a secured conditional status for the 2023 DP World Tour by finishing at no. 30 in the Challenge Tour.

In 2023, the Englishman turned over a new leaf as he became a full-time member of the DP World Tour after finishing third at Q-School’s Final Stage. Brown also claimed his maiden victory at the European circuit by winning the 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational. After an impressive first round, do you think that Daniel Brown will be able to lift the Claret Jug?