New Delhi, July 17 -- SOUTHPORT - The scorecard read 65. The name at the top of the leaderboard was Jackson Suber. The 26-year-old American had played 27 holes of links golf in his entire life, none of them in Europe, before arriving at Royal Birkdale this week for The Open Championship. He won the day anyway.

Suber birdied his way through a course he had barely encountered, holding off a field of major champions to claim the first-round lead at the oldest major in golf. "Monday was my first round of links golf," Suber said after signing his card. "I've played 27 holes before I played the first round today. I've never been to Europe." Nobody hearing the number 65 would have guessed it belonged to someone with that background.

Sungjae Im...