Surprise British Open leader Jackson Suber faces another breezy day on the Birkdale links

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Jackson Suber was one of three dozen players under par at the British Open when he made birdie and eagle in the blink of an eye and suddenly found himself atop the leaderboard at Royal Birkdale.

He had never played links golf until three days earlier. Not only is this his first appearance in the British Open, it's his first time in Europe. He still won't get behind the wheel on the right side of the car because he jokingly said, “I'm trying to make it here for four days.”

The first day was brilliant, a 5-under 65 that gave the unheralded American a one-shot lead going into the second round.

Suber was initially holding his own Friday — a birdie on the second hole — before dropping three shots on another breezy day on the Birkdale links.

The surprise first round leader is No. 115 in the world, and he is No. 81 in the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour with three top 10s this year, one of which was a tie for fourth in the Canadian Open that got him into the field at Royal Birkdale for his third major championship.

Where he goes from here is of interest. But this was not the first time that a leader at the British Open, or any major for that matter, has caused people to do a quick search for who he is.

Hennie Otto was No. 200 in the world at Royal St. George's in 2003 when he opened with a 68. Andrew Landry was making his major championship debut at Oakmont for the 2016 U.S. Open and shot 66 to lead by one over Dustin Johnson, the eventual winner.

Two amateurs have shared the lead after one round of the British Open over the last 25 years, most recently Christo Lamprecht at Hoylake three years ago. Then there was Nick Job, never finished higher than 25th on the European Tour Order of Merit. He led after the first round in the 1981 British Open and held strong until a 75-74 weekend.

The links are new to Suber but he appears confident on this stage.

“I feel like I’ve just been playing good the last few months,” he said. “Just knowing that good golf is going to take care of everything, and really trusting my caddie to figure out where we’re going to hit it.”

Rory McIlroy was among the early starters after a 72 that featured six bogeys and far too many short putts he missed. He was seven shots behind. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler opened with a 68 and played in the afternoon.

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Scottie Scheffler of the United States reacts after putting on the 6th green during the first day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts after putting on the 18th green to complete his first round during the first day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Jackson Suber of the United States putts win the 18th green during the first day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Jackson Suber of the United States, and his caddie Greyson Porter walks towards the 18th green during the first day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

On the grass courts of Wimbledon or racing through the Belgian forests, what matters is staying in control.

Kimi Antonelli heads into the Belgian Grand Prix with a piece of advice he picked up recently from Roger Federer.

After a run of car problems cut into the Italian's Formula 1 standings lead, Antonelli's chat with the tennis great in the Royal Box at Wimbledon offered a fresh perspective on how to stop these blips turning into a slump.

“About pressure, he just told me to really focus one race at a time, just focus on what you can control, and also to control the emotions, especially the ones that can make you do mistakes,” Antonelli said Thursday.

“Those were the main pieces of advice. Other than that, it was an incredible experience to witness.”

So far, Antonelli seems to be staying focused, even as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton threaten Mercedes' supremacy. Antonelli doesn't seem to have lost any of his race-winning pace, unlike last year, when his confidence hit rock-bottom after errors on the European tracks he was meant to know best.

“I just need to maximize every opportunity I get, what I have in control, and then we’ll see what the rest will be,” Antonelli said. “It's part of the sport and the team are doing a tremendous job to make sure that all these issues are not happening again.”

Instead, it's his more experienced Mercedes teammate George Russell who's struggling.

A second-place finish for Russell at the British Grand Prix was more about luck than speed, as he benefited from Antonelli's car trouble, a crash for Max Verstappen and a strategy blunder for Hamilton.

Russell cut Antonelli's lead to 25 points but said he felt “less satisfied” with that home podium finish than he had breaking down from the lead in Canada.

The fast, sweeping Belgian circuit has key similarities to Silverstone. That could pose a challenge to Russell and offer an opportunity to Ferrari.

Leclerc and Ferrari were surprised he had the pace to win in Britain and they've been working since then to understand what worked so well to deliver that pace this weekend, too.

Mercedes remains the team to beat and “should be a lot further ahead" in the standings by now, Hamilton told Sky Sports.

One driver who almost certainly won't be in contention for the win is Lando Norris. The defending champion comes into this week's race with a 10-place grid penalty after McLaren switched out a troublesome electrical part on his car.

Teammate Oscar Piastri spent Thursday stressing he trusts McLaren's assurances he'll stay with the team next year despite reported interest in signing Max Verstappen.

Four-time champion Verstappen left his future open Thursday but had warm words for Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies, who started his tenure a year ago with a stunning win for Verstappen in a sprint in Belgium.

After Verstappen fumed at Red Bull's “dangerous” car after back-to-back crashes caused by rear wing failures, the team is going back to an older design this week, potentially affecting Verstappen's pace.

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Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain walks in the drivers area ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steps into his car in the team garage ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy walks in the drivers area ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

F1 Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy sits beside former tennis player Roger Federer of Switzerland in the Royal Box on day eight at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 6, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)