Another day at Royal Birkdale, another 62. This is getting silly.
Just 24 hours after both Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns carded 62s, tying the lowest rounds ever recorded in a men’s major, Ryan Fox rolled up and did the exact same thing. Fox rode nine birdies against one bogey to a -8 round and a share of the lead at the Open Championship.
He stepped onto the tee at 18 needing only a par to match the record. He promptly fired his tee shot into a greenside bunker, but took aim at the green and rifled a shot right over the bunker’s edge to land on the green. His long birdie putt to set the record just came up a few feet short.
Fox doesn’t exactly have a distinguished record in majors; he’s never finished in the top 15 in any major. He has two PGA Tour victories, most recently in June 2025 at the RBC Canadian Open.
The 62 in majors is quickly becoming like the 100-mph barrier for pitchers — once achievable by only a select few, it’s growing more common as the years go on. Seven of the eight 62s in men’s major history have been recorded in the last three years; the eighth was just nine years ago. The combination of power off the tee, improved equipment, and benign conditions like this week at Royal Birkdale have opened doors, and the pros are charging through.
Six men prior to Fox had shot 62 in a major — Branden Grace, who did it at Royal Birkdale in 2017; Xander Schauffele, who did it twice at both the 2023 U.S. Open and the 2024 PGA Championship; Rickie Fowler, who did it at the 2023 U.S. Open; Shane Lowry, who did it at the 2024 PGA Championship; and Herbert and Burns, who did it Friday. Of the players who completed their rounds, only Schauffele went on to win.
