PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Jacob Skov Olesen is the surprise leader of the 153rd British Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club.
The 26-year-old Dane is 5 under through his first 16 holes, one stroke better than Haotong Li. Olesen birdied the first hole, strung five pars together, then added a birdie at the par-5 seventh. He made his lone bogey of the day at No. 8 and toured the front nine in 35. He started the back nine with a birdie at 10 and then jumped to 4 under with a 42-foot eagle at the par-5 12th.
If Olesen wasn’t on your bingo card at the start of the week, here’s a little more about him. A left-handed player, he went to college in the United States and had stops at Ranger (Texas) Community College and TCU. He played his final season at Arkansas, earning All-America honors and statistically producing the best season in Razorback history.
Olesen’s biggest claim to fame is being the first golfer from Denmark to win the British Amateur, which he captured at Ballyliffin in Ireland. In the final match, he quickly turned a two-hole lunchtime lead into a six-hole advantage and eventually won 4 and 3.
“I’m really proud to be the first Danish winner,” he said. “I guess that’s something I’ll have forever, which is super cool.”
Olesen played in the 2024 Open at Royal Troon, made the cut and finished tied for 60th.
He opted to turn professional, forfeiting his right to starts at the Masters and the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. He advanced to the final stage of qualifying for the DP World Tour and finished 21st, giving him access to the HotelPlanner Tour and DP World Tour. He has three top-10 finishes this season. Last week, he made his PGA Tour debut at the Isco Championship and missed the cut.
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