Who is Jacob Skov Olesen, the surprising early leader at the Open Championship?

If you're just waking up and tuning into the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, you might be surprised to see the name J.S. Olesen sitting atop the leaderboard. To be fair, it'd be more surprising if you casually follow golf and still recognized the name.

Jacob Skov Olesen, a Danish golfer who primarily plays on the DP World Tour, opened up the Open Championship with an impressive 4-under 67 before most of the United States was out of bed. He made four birdies, an eagle and only two bogeys in the first round at Royal Portrush to grab the early lead. 

So, who is this guy?

Olesen hasn't been a professional golfer very long. The 26-year-old won five tournaments as an amateur and moved to the United States to play at Ranger Community College, TCU and Arkansas. His career took off in 2024 when he became the first Dane to win the Amateur Championship, punching his ticket to the Open Championship at Royal Troon. He made the cut and finished T60 in his major championship debut.

Four months later, Olesen qualified for full-time status on the DP World Tour in 2025. The lefty has played in 15 DP World Tour events this year, notching six top-20 finishes. Although Olesen is a mainstay on the European circuit, not even DP World Tour fans saw this performance coming. 

Olesen's best finish this season was a T7 at the Joburg Open in March. He entered the Open Championship with just one top-40 finish in his last six starts, and he missed the cut in his PGA Tour debut at the ISCO Championship last week.