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Jackson Suber Fires 65, Leads Open at Birkdale

7/17/2026

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Summary

Jackson Suber Leads

Jackson Suber (26, American) posted a 5-under 65 to lead round one at Royal Birkdale.
He birdied 10, 11, 14, 16 and eagled 17, finishing one stroke ahead of Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im.
Entering ranked 115th after a tied-fourth finish at the RBC Canadian Open, his odds jumped from 350/1 to 18/1, making him the seventh player to start the Open at Royal Birkdale with a 65 or lower.

Summary

Suber Gear Shift

Suber credited his opening-round success to switching to a Titleist Pro V1 ball and Titleist GTS3 driver, followed data analyst Hunter Stewart’s hole-by-hole plan, and trusted a Birkdale-familiar caddie.
Mental-game work with a former Ole Miss coach boosted his confidence.
He explored Liverpool with fiancée and Tour pro Pierceson Coody on his first European trip.
His second-round tee time is 2:30 a.m. ET on July 17, putting him in an early group.

History

Historical Context

On 17-20 July 2003, 27-year-old Ben Curtis captured the 132nd Open at Royal St George’s, becoming the first debut winner since Tom Watson in 1975 and jumping from world rank 396 to 71. His surprise echoed the era’s string of first-time champions—Paul Lawrie’s 1999 victory and Todd Hamilton’s 2004 win—highlighting the Open’s growing openness to lower-ranked players.

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Jackson Suber Leads

Jackson Suber (26, American) posted a 5-under 65 to lead round one at Royal Birkdale.
He birdied 10, 11, 14, 16 and eagled 17, finishing one stroke ahead of Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im.
Entering ranked 115th after a tied-fourth finish at the RBC Canadian Open, his odds jumped from 350/1 to 18/1, making him the seventh player to start the Open at Royal Birkdale with a 65 or lower.

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