Jackson Suber said momentum was on his side after overcoming a prior lack of links golf experience to surge into a surprise lead at The Open.

At the end of day one at Royal Birkdale, Suber – who had never visited Europe before this tournament – was the only player at five under.

The 26-year-old finished round one a single shot clear of South Korea's Im Sung-jae and Englishman Daniel Brown, with a group of nine players – headlined by Bryson DeChambeau, Robert MacIntyre and Cameron Young – another stroke back.

Suber only qualified for the year's final major by finishing fourth at the Canadian Open last month, but a run of four birdies and one eagle down the back nine put him in the driver's seat.

And, having not even played two full rounds of links golf prior to Thursday's action, the Open first-timer felt his momentum had carried him a long way.

"Things just really started going after the birdie on 10. I just felt like the momentum was really in my favour," Suber said after the conclusion of his opening round.

"I just kept the ball in good spots and didn't put much pressure on my game to make pars.

"This is my fifth day in Europe. I'd played 27 holes before I played the first round.

"I feel like I've just been playing well the last few months, and it's just about knowing that good golf is going to take care of everything."

Jackson Suber leads The 154th Open. pic.twitter.com/lihOnBz9yF

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2026

Francesco Molinari, Thomas Detry, Alex Smalley, Ryan Gerard, M.J. Daffue and Pierceson Coody were the other players to match DeChambeau, MacIntyre and Young at three under.

DeChambeau birdied his first two holes and the last two, having been criticised by six-time major champion Nick Faldo in the build-up to the tournament.

Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast earlier this week, Faldo said DeChambeau had "zero clue of strategy", in comments the two-time U.S. Open winner poked fun at after completing his round.

"I think you've got to be a lot more strategic out on the golf course," DeChambeau quipped.

"I feel like I did a really good job today of being incredibly strategic and focused super hard on placing it in the right places.

"Besides 18, I placed the ball in some good areas. But I just need to hit more fairways. Other than that, I feel like my strategy was nice today."

Scottie Scheffler is one of a further 11 players that sit within three shots of Suber, with Collin Morikawa, Ryo Hisatsune and Henrik Stenson also among that group.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, shot a two-over 72, mixing four bogeys with three birdies down the back nine as he struggled for consistency.