Forty male golfers recorded 63 in men’s professional competition. Johnny Miller did this while shooting the lights at Oakmont this year’s U.S. Open venue, and we enjoyed a steady and brilliant round in the Big Four.
There were a lot of close shaves, but we had to wait until Saturday in 2017 and the Royal Burkedale Open to get our first 62.
It opened the door and now our relative amount is 62, and the other four. We’re still waiting for the Masters – Nick Price (1986) and Greg Norman (1996) were the only players to shoot 63 at Augusta National – but both the U.S. Open and PGA champions threw a few. One player has even completed twice.
Branden Grace (2017 Open Champion, Real Burkedale)
The South Africans started the third round with a 70-74 start with a four-pointer, but then took out eight shots to finish fifth with a draw. Five birdies in the first nine, and three birdies all appeared in the past five holes, making him the first to shoot a gold number. He would miss 5, 15 holes, but the next bird, with the crowd joining, he ranks 17th among the two, for two birdies. The last straight par is in the last score that has never been recorded.
Grace says: “I don’t know that I’m 18. I promise you. Honestly. I’m just in the area of the game, the area of hole after hole, I don’t know that 62 is the lowest ever. I just spent the whole day thinking about the green, and this day I was going to run into. Congratulations, he said, if someone shoots 62, you’re always the first.”
Rickie Fowler (2023 US Open, Los Angeles Country Club)
We had two 62 on the first day here, first, Fowler was making better progress than Miller. Americans even allocated 10 birds in a course that never held a USGA exhibition, and even had several bogeys. Starting from 10th Fowler, five birdies fell, and the two guns lost, but in the sixth brief eight-foot bird took him under seven. He was then forced to lie on 5-8-8 but wedged 15 feet and then switched from 3-9-99-9-9-60-foot to twice. Fowler fell into the tie in the last round, ranking fifth.
Fowler said: “It’s a good start from ten, never really thinking about scoring or what I want to do there. I didn’t feel very comfortable in the first few days of the week, swinging, not doing a lot of putts or hit really well, so keep in the practice field and a little bit of willingness to start on Thursday. Made here, but you have to drive it and then put the ball first.
Xander Schauffele (US Open 2023, Los Angeles Country Club)
Schauffele, two groups behind Fowler, flew a flight start on the tenth 40-foot birdie putt. The three were out and he was back to back birds 1 and 2 on the back to back birds 1 and 2 and then rolled from 60 feet from the 5th edge to below 6. On the six-foot length of the seventh stroke, in the third of the five, a six-foot player will be followed, while the closing ceremony will add up to 62. He will fail to break the 70 in the next three days.
Schauffele said: “In a sense, it was almost a dream start. I played a lot of really good photos. Rickie was right in front of me – I saw him marching on the rankings – I was playing really well, so I was wondering ‘Why not chase him?” The U.S. Open is just a hard work, you have to think around the hotel, take medications when possible, and try capital if possible.
Xander Schauffele (2024 PGA Champion, Valhalla)
Schauffele encountered this goal again on Major’s opening day, and three days later the Americans broke his duck, which would be a happy ending. This time it was a 71, Schuffle had five holes in the front nine, his longest putt was 16 feet, while the seventh two putts of 60 feet moved him below nine. He will play up and down the next up and down, with the 9th (his first time winning streaks) giving him a three-shot lead.
“It’s a great start to a big game. I obviously always have to go. It’s Thursday. That’s about that. I feel a little sudden, the moment you feel like you have a good control of the green; you really have a good control of the green; but, you’re really happy. But, it’s hard to perform high for a while, and I have a hard time maintaining a high effect.
Shane Lowry (2024 PGA Champion, Vallhalla)
After starting Saturday’s game at No. 29, Lowry moved to two more times with leaders Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa. He ended up tied for sixth place. The Irishman’s career-high 161-foot putts – he hit four putts from 10-20-foot putts 25 feet away, but he didn’t miss any of the 12 putts he faced from within 10 feet, although he would eventually miss the last 12-foot player to break the new ground. But it was an alignment change that paved the way for the Rocket Board on the Kentucky rankings.
Lowry said: “I feel like I’m green, I’ve been as good as this year, and then I came out for the first two days, which was probably the worst I’ve ever played in a long time, but my putts kept me going. Then, I went with me on a bad thing on Friday afternoon, which was a bad thing. I’ve had a different thing. I’ve had a certain amount of things. Freedom, managed to do that.
Shane Lowry in prowush
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