Fox comes off the 18th green tied for first at the 154th British Open.
July 18, 2026
9:40 a.m. Eastern Time
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2 minute read
It will be another round of the 2026 Open, and another one that will make history. New Zealander Ryan Fox became the slowest player to shoot a 62 in a major tournament with a round of 8 under in the third round of the 154th British Open at Royal Birkdale on Saturday.
Fox joins a growing list of players. Sam Barnes and Lucas Herbert achieved the same in round 2 –Signs for a total of 62 major league wins. Of the eight rounds of 62 in a major tournament, four were played at Royal Birkdale, including Branden Grace’s round of 62 in the third round of the 2017 Open (a first in history).
The fast-paced right-hander started outside the top 50 of the leaderboard at even par at The Open over the weekend, leaving the 18th green tied for the lead with Herbert at 8 under. Unlike Herbert and Burns the previous day, Fox shot 47 feet, 6 inches for a 61 thanks to a nice approach shot that somehow found a putting surface from a fairway bunker.
Lowest number of rounds in major championship history
ryan fox | 2026 Open (3rd round) | Royal Birkdale | 62 |
sam burns | 2026 Open (2nd round) | Royal Birkdale | 62 |
lucas herbert | 2026 Open (2nd round) | Royal Birkdale | 62 |
Shane Lowry | 2024 PGA Championship (Round 3) | Valhalla Golf Club | 62 |
Xander Schauffele | 2024 PGA Championship (Round 1) | Valhalla Golf Club | 62 |
Xander Schauffele | 2023 US Open (Round 1) | Los Angeles Country Club | 62 |
Rickie Fowler | 2023 US Open (Round 1) | Los Angeles Country Club | 62 |
Branden Grace | 2017 Open (Round 3) | Royal Birkdale | 62 |
Fox started his day in a hurry. After putting a 4 on his scorecard at No. 1, he hit seven straight 3s, five of which doubled as birdies. He rolled the rock beautifully and holed a total of 140 feet worth of putts, including an improbable shot from 54 feet, 6 inches on the par-4 sixth.
He finished with a 5-under 29 and added a birdie on the 10th, putting him on track to break the major championship scoring record. He suffered a bogey on the difficult par-4 13th and was at a loss for a while, but he made three birdies in the next four holes, regaining his enthusiasm with a high-quality approach to the 16th and a beautiful touch on the next hole.
After finding a tricky spot with his tee shot at the end, Fox plucked up the courage to aim for the green and nail it. He objectively looked at his own history with a 61, but instead scored a 62 and settled for the top of the leaderboard in the final major championship of the year.
