What was the biggest surprise of day 1?

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The first round of the 2024 Open Championship had everything it should have – rugged Scottish weather, unpredictable winds and, of course, players scratching their heads trying to get out of those nasty pots. Daniel Brown (six under) leads after eventful day 1. What was the biggest surprise on Thursday at The Open?

Josh Sens, senior author (@JoshSens): I'll pick the low-hanging fruit and go with Rory McIlroy's seven-over opening round. There's no doubt he's drawn the worst of the weather, but his few stumbles — the OB tee shot on 11, the careless wedge on 13 and so on — seem as mind-blowing as anything. I'm not sure if anything in links golf counts as a true shocker – we have to expect the unexpected – but often the hardest to get a handle on these days is what's going on in Rory's head.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Daniel Brown is 29 years old and making his first major start, and before his 61st place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, he had missed six balls and withdrawn from another tournament in a span of seven events. So you earn! He birdied two of the last three and didn't make bogey for the first time. But despite Brown's rise up the leaderboard, the answer has to be Rory. Like many others I thought he would really bounce back this week, but we didn't see that today.

Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): Justin Thomas' late recovery. He took the lead to 4 under, which, despite his opening round of 62 last week, is impressive on its own. But his round could have come to an end when he came up short with the best drive of the day on the 11th, doubled the 12th and bogeyed the 13th. a long streak of odd performances from the two-time major winner. But he righted the ship, hit it hard on 17, one of the toughest holes all day, and made a solid birdie putt at the last to cap the best round of the morning wave.

Ryan Barath, mission editor (@rdsbarath): Rory's first round was a real shocker, and frankly so was Bryson DeChambeau. Both of these players handled the difficult conditions at Pinehurst very well, and today I was hoping to see them compete for a position at the top of the leaderboard at Royal Troon – not sitting well below the possible line. If I had to pick the second one, I agree with Jack that Justin Thomas' recovery was not what I expected after his mid-round struggles. He continues to struggle with consistency, and after the double bogey I was expecting a full out.

Dylan Dethier, senior author (@dylan_dethier): The biggest surprise, for me, was a nice one: Troon played hard! I know the guys hit a low pile at the end (shout out to Dan Brown) but the fact that there were only 17 pros under par after the first round meant a good score well earned. The only thing better than the Open is a hard Open. I can't wait a week.