Daniel Brown has admitted that he has been trying to hide his smoking habit while puffing on cigarettes during rounds at The Open. The 29-year-old has been the surprise package of this year’s tournament and remains in with a chance of lifting the Claret Jug on Sunday.

Brown, who is playing at his first major tournament, has raised plenty of eyebrows with his low scoring at Royal Troon this week. Other eagle-eyed viewers have spotted his smoking habit, with TV cameras showing him puffing on cigarettes while making his way around the course.

Asked if he was smoking in an attempt to ease his nerves, Brown said: “No, that’s just a bit of a bad habit that I’ve got into. I only really do it when I’m golfing, to be honest. I suppose it could be a bit of a coping mechanism.

“I was trying to sneak. I mean, my mum and dad are here. There’s a lot of people watching and I don’t know how people are going to take it. Obviously, I’m sure a lot of people know.”

Quizzed on whether his parents were aware of his smoking habit, Brown replied: “They do know, but I don’t do it in front of them or I don’t want to do it in front of them, so I try to hide it.”