Ryan Fox fires 62 as Royal Birkdale gives up another major-record round
Ryan Fox became the third player this week to shoot 62 at the Open Championship, matching the men’s major scoring record at Royal Birkdale.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Ryan Fox turned a calm Saturday morning at Royal Birkdale into another page for the record book, shooting an 8-under 62 in the third round of the Open Championship, according to the Associated Press.
The New Zealander became the third player this week to match the men’s major championship scoring record, joining Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns, who each posted 62s on Friday about 20 minutes apart, the AP reported.
Fox took full advantage of unusually quiet conditions on the par-70 links in Southport, England. The AP reported that he made five birdies on the front nine, then added birdies on two of his final three holes.
The round moved Fox to 8 under for the championship, level with Herbert at the top of the in-progress leaderboard, according to ESPN’s tournament board. Herbert had not yet started his third round at the time noted in the report.
Royal Birkdale keeps handing out 62s
There have now been eight rounds of 62 in men’s major championship history, according to the AP. Four of them have come at Royal Birkdale.
Branden Grace was the first player to shoot 62 in a men’s major, doing it at Royal Birkdale in 2017, the AP reported. This week’s Open has now produced three more at the same venue before the third round was even complete.
Fox nearly went one better. On the 18th hole, the AP reported, he found a pot bunker from the fairway but still got his ball onto the green. He had a birdie putt of nearly 50 feet for 61, left it around 5 feet short, then made the putt for par.
“When I got to 6 under through 14 I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve got a chance.’ I would have liked to give myself a birdie chance at the last, but happy to make par,” Fox said, according to the AP.
Fast links, little wind, low scores
The AP described Royal Birkdale as brown and quick, with the lack of wind playing a major role in the scoring spree. Fox started early, when there was barely any breeze.
Fox, whose power game was noted by the AP alongside his rugby background, used driver often and created a run of short birdie looks. The report said all but one of his nine birdies came from roughly 10 feet or closer.
His only bogey came at the 13th after a drive into a pot bunker, according to the AP. Among his key shots were a drive at the 321-yard fifth that finished about 30 feet from the hole and a wedge from rough at the par-5 17th that rolled to around 4 feet.
“The game plan was to be aggressive,” Fox said, according to the AP. “I was aggressive on a lot of good wedge shots. Pretty happy with 62 at the end.”
Fox played with Xander Schauffele, the only player with two rounds of 62 in men’s majors, the AP reported. Schauffele and Rickie Fowler both shot 62 at the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, while Schauffele and Shane Lowry each did it at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
The AP also noted that Schauffele is the only player to shoot 62 in a major and go on to win that tournament. With half the field still to complete Saturday’s round and the final round still ahead, Royal Birkdale had already become the first major venue to allow three scores of 63 or better in the same championship.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.