The Open 2018: Kevin Kisner refuses to be intimidated by chasing pack at Carnoustie

Kisner finished the first round on -5

Kevin Kisner lives in a house of champions and now he’s determined not be the odd one out.

And this week Kisner could step out of the shadows and secure a surprise major title, cheered on by his famous room-mates as he boasts the first-round lead in the 147th Open championship.

Just a well-hit drive from Carnoustie’s famous Links, the 34-year-old is sharing a home with an all-star cast of American golfers that boast eight major titles between them.

Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jason Dufner, Zach Johnson, Jimmy Walker and Rickie Fowler are all in the ‘frat house’ and have spent much of their free time “goofing around” and playing football, according to Kisner. While that might sound something of an overwhelming experience, the South Carolina native assured a press conference it was an excellent environment to be in.

“It's not intimidating at all. They're all great people. That's the best part about it,” he said. “I mean, we're out there playing soccer at night and hanging out. Everybody is just really chill, and it's a lot of fun to be around those guys. There's a lot of great players. It's really cool just to hear what they have to say.

“The thing that impresses me with all those guys is, when you're out here and you grew up with all your buddies, you're pretty much the best at everything.

“And when you get around those guys, everybody is really good. So it's pretty cool to watch how athletic a lot of those guys are — except Duff, really. No, I'm just kidding. Duff is athletic too.”

Dufner is the allocated goalkeeper, or so claims overnight leader Kisner, clearly one of the bigger jokers in the pack.

His five-under-par 66 came thanks to a consistent display with the occasional gutsy call, most notably a bold tee shot on six that handed him an eagle and set him on the way to the top of the leaderboard. He hit the target regularly where many of his more illustrious rivals couldn’t, though when it comes to playing football in the garden it sounds like Spieth is the player to watch - until he overcooks one.

“Oh, yeah, he’s really good,” says Kisner. “Until he sends it over the goal four houses over, and we've got to go knock on neighbour’s door for the soccer ball.”