Jackson Suber, a 26-year-old American golfer in his first Open Championship and first trip to Europe, shot to the top of the leaderboard on Friday morning at Royal Birkdale, finishing the second round in second place at six under par after a rollercoaster day.
Suber's Surprise Rise
Suber, who qualified for the championship by tying for fourth at the Canadian Open, was two shots clear of the field at one point. Despite dropping three shots in three holes, he rallied to card a second-round 69. His only previous major appearances were the 2024 US Open (73rd) and 2026 US Open (missed cut). He recently finished fourth at the Byron Nelson.
According to his PGA Tour bio, Suber "enjoys hunting and wakeboarding" and his favourite sports team is the Tampa Bay Lightning. His full name is John Weatherington Suber III, and he majored in finance at the University of Mississippi.
First Links Golf Experience
Suber had never played links golf before his Monday practice round at Royal Birkdale. "Well, the ball's the same size," he said. The highlight of his trip so far was a train ride into Liverpool, which he described as "awesome."
During the round, Suber relied on his caddie Grayson Porter's advice. After walloping his tee shot over the 5th green, Suber said, "I'm thinking a wedge, just because of the way it's sitting." Porter replied, "Follow your instincts here." Suber flicked the ball 16 feet from the pin.
Momentum Shift and Recovery
Suber had six hours of sleep and attracted an entourage of photographers and journalists. He chatted with playing partners and acknowledged their good shots. However, at the 6th hole, his putts stopped dropping. He took three putts on the 6th, 7th, and 8th greens, falling back to three under par.
"I took a glance and I saw that it's not like people were tearing it up," Suber said of the leaderboards. "You just know that in a major things are going to get challenging at some point, no matter how you play, so you just need to be patient with that and let the good golf come later." He made back-to-back birdies with 20-foot putts at the 10th and 11th, dropped a shot at the 13th, and made two more birdies on the par fives to finish with a 69.
