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SOUTHPORT, England — No shot in golf is identical. Lies, distances, wind, angles, there’s lots of variables that may seem similar on paper but aren’t the same in reality.. Same goes for scores. In the case of men’s major championships, there have now been seven rounds of 62. But those too, are not created equal.
In a 15 minute span on Friday at the Open Championship, Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns etched their names into the history books, shooting matching rounds of 62 at Royal Birkdale to match the lowest 18-hole score in major history.
There’s no denying they are the lowest rounds, but where do they rank statistically among golf’s best major rounds?
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First, let’s compare today’s two rounds.
The key for Herbert and Burns was their short games. En route to their eight-under-par rounds, both ranked inside the top five in both strokes gained/putting and strokes gained/around the green. Herbert holed four putts of more than 10 feet, including a 35-footer for birdie on the seventh hole. Meanwhile, Burns holed from off-the-green twice, including a walk-off birdie from the bunker shot on the 18th hole.
The Australian outdrove the American by an average of 15 yards per drive and hit three more greens in the second round, but Burns’ 21 putts was, according Justin Ray, tied for the lowest number by any player in an Open round in the last 25 years.
Oisin Keniry/R&A
So that’s how they shot 62, but how do their rounds stack up against other 62s in major championships?
Here is a table of all seven of golf’s lowest major scores, ranked by the difference between the score and the field average for the round in which their 62 was shot.
While the 62s shot Friday are statistically better than Branden Grace’s 62 at Royal Birkdale in 2017, they are more than 1.5 shots worse than the 62s shot at Los Angeles C.C. by Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler during the first round of the 2023 U.S. Open.
This has to do with the fact that the scoring average at Birkdale today was 69.79, slightly under par overall.
Looking further back, a round that is 7.79 shots better than the field average isn’t enough to feature inside the 200 best rounds shot at a major. Greg Norman still holds the record for the best statistical round shot at The Open, his second-round 63 at Royal St George’s in 1986 beating the field that day by more than 10.5 shots.
OK, but what about the best rounds this year?
The numbers point to more of the same. Herbert and Burns 62s don’t feature inside the 30 best rounds on either the PGA Tour or DP World Tour (including the majors) when compared to the average score that day.
Today’s rounds aren’t even personal “bests” for the two players we’re discussing. Herbert’s 61 in the third round of LIV Mexico this year was 10.43 shots better than the field. Meanwhile, Burns’ second-round 65 at Oakmont in the U.S. Open last year was 9.78 versus everyone else that day.
Let’s be clear:. shooting 62 in a major is an amazing achievement. Both were very much aware of the history of what was on the line, especially Herbert as he slumped over his putter after missing a short par putt for 61.
However, statistically, they have a ways to go to be considered among the “best” rounds we’ve seen on golf’s biggest stage.
• • •
Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
• • •
MORE GOLF DIGEST BRITISH OPEN COVERAGE
British Open 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
How to watch the British Open on TV and streaming
Tee times for the second round
Video: The craziest 29 minutes in British Open history
Power Rankings: Every player in the field at Royal Birkdale
The Open keeps growing, but does it come at the price of tradition?
Video: Every hole at Royal Birkdale
Royal Birkdale demands these five shots. Here’s how pros practice them
How does a golf course earn ‘Royal’ status?
The best British Opens, ranked
The decision every pro face as they stand on the tee at Birkdale
Continue reading...
In a 15 minute span on Friday at the Open Championship, Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns etched their names into the history books, shooting matching rounds of 62 at Royal Birkdale to match the lowest 18-hole score in major history.
There’s no denying they are the lowest rounds, but where do they rank statistically among golf’s best major rounds?
More From Golf Digest
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Scoring records British Open 2026: The lowest 18-hole scores in major championship history First, let’s compare today’s two rounds.
The key for Herbert and Burns was their short games. En route to their eight-under-par rounds, both ranked inside the top five in both strokes gained/putting and strokes gained/around the green. Herbert holed four putts of more than 10 feet, including a 35-footer for birdie on the seventh hole. Meanwhile, Burns holed from off-the-green twice, including a walk-off birdie from the bunker shot on the 18th hole.
The Australian outdrove the American by an average of 15 yards per drive and hit three more greens in the second round, but Burns’ 21 putts was, according Justin Ray, tied for the lowest number by any player in an Open round in the last 25 years.
You must be registered for see images attach
Oisin Keniry/R&A
So that’s how they shot 62, but how do their rounds stack up against other 62s in major championships?
Here is a table of all seven of golf’s lowest major scores, ranked by the difference between the score and the field average for the round in which their 62 was shot.
You must be registered for see images attach
While the 62s shot Friday are statistically better than Branden Grace’s 62 at Royal Birkdale in 2017, they are more than 1.5 shots worse than the 62s shot at Los Angeles C.C. by Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler during the first round of the 2023 U.S. Open.
This has to do with the fact that the scoring average at Birkdale today was 69.79, slightly under par overall.
Looking further back, a round that is 7.79 shots better than the field average isn’t enough to feature inside the 200 best rounds shot at a major. Greg Norman still holds the record for the best statistical round shot at The Open, his second-round 63 at Royal St George’s in 1986 beating the field that day by more than 10.5 shots.
OK, but what about the best rounds this year?
You must be registered for see images attach
The numbers point to more of the same. Herbert and Burns 62s don’t feature inside the 30 best rounds on either the PGA Tour or DP World Tour (including the majors) when compared to the average score that day.
Today’s rounds aren’t even personal “bests” for the two players we’re discussing. Herbert’s 61 in the third round of LIV Mexico this year was 10.43 shots better than the field. Meanwhile, Burns’ second-round 65 at Oakmont in the U.S. Open last year was 9.78 versus everyone else that day.
Let’s be clear:. shooting 62 in a major is an amazing achievement. Both were very much aware of the history of what was on the line, especially Herbert as he slumped over his putter after missing a short par putt for 61.
However, statistically, they have a ways to go to be considered among the “best” rounds we’ve seen on golf’s biggest stage.
• • •
Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
• • •
MORE GOLF DIGEST BRITISH OPEN COVERAGE
British Open 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
How to watch the British Open on TV and streaming
Tee times for the second round
Video: The craziest 29 minutes in British Open history
Power Rankings: Every player in the field at Royal Birkdale
The Open keeps growing, but does it come at the price of tradition?
Video: Every hole at Royal Birkdale
Royal Birkdale demands these five shots. Here’s how pros practice them
How does a golf course earn ‘Royal’ status?
The best British Opens, ranked
The decision every pro face as they stand on the tee at Birkdale
Continue reading...
