Niall Lyons said Daniel Brown is a live outright and top-10 play for Royal Portrush. Brown finished T-10 at Hoylake last year after grabbing the first-round lead and was only two shots back after both Friday and Saturday. Lyons likes that the 30-year-old owns two DP World Tour wins plus a playoff loss in Bahrain this season, proving he can close. Stat-wise, Brown pairs above-average distance with pinpoint accuracy off the tee, a combo Lyons views as critical on a Portrush layout where missing fairways brings pot bunkers and fescue into play. Brown’s four top-four finishes in other windy, firm events such as the Irish Open and Andalucia Masters reinforce his coastal pedigree. With books still hanging triple-digit outright numbers and juicy each-way terms, Lyons is firing on Brown for placements and a small win sprinkle before the market catches up.