History Made With a Birdie on the 17th at Royal Birkdale

Yesterday, players battled heavy rain and high winds at Royal Birkdale, which resulted in a scoring average of over 74 for the second round. Today, with the winds down and much softer greens, things were a bit different. The scoring average dropped 5 strokes to around 69, lowered in part by an unprecedented 62 by Branden Grace. The history of the 63 in a major championship has a rich backstory, and as of today, a new chapter has been written by the South African.

It all started US Open way back in 1973. Johnny Miller walked onto the first tee at Oakmont CC, six shots back of a four way tie at the top of the leaderboard. After making birdies on each of the first four holes, there was an unmistakable feeling that something special was going to happen. Miller made 9 birdies and a lone bogey en route to capturing the trophy by one stroke. Since Miller, 27 players have shot a 63 in a major championship. Ironically enough, despite each 63 being the low round of the tournament, it only boosted the player who shot it onto victory 6 out of the 27 times, most recently with Henrik Stenson’s 63 in the final round of the 2016 Open at Troon.

Grace started his round today by making birdie on the first hole. It was just a sign of things to come, as the tame conditions yielded four more birdies on the front 9 alone. Grace went out in an astonishing 29, and needed only 3 more birdies to make golfing history. After birdies on 14 and 16, he reached the par 5 17th hole just 3 shots off the lead. A drive in the fairway and a spectacular 3 iron to 28 feet, left him just a routine 2 putt to reach the -8 mark. Grace sealed his spectacular round with a two putt par on the 18th to firmly supplant his name in the record books.

Grace started the day at +4, 6 shots off the overnight lead. By the end of the third round, he found himself on the front page of the leaderboard and in a tie for fifth. With separation between second and third, it may take Grace another 62 to work his way into contention. With high winds and rain forecasted for the final round, an encore seems highly unlikely. However, one thing is for certain; This is a round that will not be forgotten for years to come.

Written by Paul Choma