Lowest Total Score in 72-Hole PGA Tour Tournament

What is the lowest stroke total ever scored in a golf tournament on the PGA Tour? That record currently stands at 253, shared by two golfers. The first golfer to record a 253 for 72 holes on the PGA Tour did so in 2017; the most-recent golfer to do so did it in 2023.

The Record: 253 by Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg

The first golfer in PGA Tour history to finish a 72-hole tournament in only 253 strokes was Justin Thomas. Thomas won the 2017 Sony Open (a tournament that appears many times on the list below) with a score of 253, which was 27-under par.

Thomas began that tournament scoring 59 in the first round, at the time just the eighth score of 59 or better on the PGA Tour. He followed with scores of 64, 65 and 65. Thomas won by seven strokes over runner-up Justin Rose.

Ludvig Aberg tied Thomas' 253 at the 2023 RSM Classic, but his was 29-under-par. He opened with rounds of 67 and 64, but then scored back-to-back 61s in the third and fourth rounds. He won the tournament by four strokes over Mackenzie Hughes. It was Aberg's first career win on the PGA Tour, but, then, he had only turned pro six months earlier.

The List: Lowest 72-Hole Stroke Totals on PGA Tour

(Note that only one of the following scores was recorded in the 1900s.)

253 — Ludvig Aberg, 2023 RSM Classic. Scored 67-64-61-61, 29-under par.
253 — Justin Thomas, 2017 Sony Open. Scored 59-64-65-65, 27-under par.
254 — Dustin Johnson, 2020 Northern Trust. Scored 67-60-64-63, 30-under par.
254 — Tommy Armour III, 2003 Texas Open. Scored 64-62-63-65, 26-under par.
256 — Phil Mickelson, 2013 Phoenix Open. Scored 60-65-64-67, 28-under par.
256 — Russell Henley, 2013 Sony Open. Scored 63-63-67-63, 24-under par.
256 — Mark Calcavecchia, 2001 Phoenix Open. Scored 65-60-64-67, 28-under par.
257 — Mackenzie Hughes, 2023 RSM Classic. Scored 68-66-60-63, 25-under par.
257 — Keegan Bradley, 2023 Travelers Championship. Scored 62-63-64-68, 23-under par.
257 — Hideki Matsuyama, 2022 Sony Open. Scored 66-65-63-63, 23-under par.
257 — Russell Henley, 2022 Sony Open. Scored 62-63-67-65, 23-under par.
257 — Michael Kim, 2018 John Deere Classic. Scored 63-64-64-66, 27-under par.
257 — Jimmy Walker, 2015 Sony Open. Scored 66-66-62-63, 23-under par.
257 — Tiger Woods, 2007 Tour Championship. Scored 64-63-64-66, 23-under par.
257 — Mike Souchak, 1955 Texas Open. Scored 60-68-64-65, 27-under par.

Did All These Golfers Win the Tournament?

Imagine posting a score so low that it gets you onto the list of lowest 72-hole stroke totals in PGA Tour history ... and not even winning the tournament. That must take a little luster off your score, right?

Two golfers on the list above did not win the tournament where they went very, very low. At the 2023 RSM Classic, Mackenzie Hughes' 257 was only good for second-place behind Aberg's record-tying 253. At at the 2022 Sony Open, Russell Henley's 257 was tied by Hideki Matsuyama, and Matsuyama then beat Henley in a playoff.

Progression of the PGA Tour 72-Hole Stroke Total Record

Starting with the PGA Tour 72-hole scoring record the last time it was above 270, and continuing to the current record, these are the golfers who lowered the mark (with Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan doing so three times alone in 1945):

271 — Lawson Little, 1936 Canadian Open
264 — Craig Wood, 1940 Metropolitan Open
263 — Byron Nelson, 1945 Atlanta Open
261 — Ben Hogan, 1945 Portland Open
259 — Byron Nelson, 1945 Seattle Open
257 — Mike Souchak, 1955 Texas Open
256 — Mark Calcavecchia, 2001 Phoenix Open
254 — Tommy Armour III, 2003 Texas Open
253 — Justin Thomas, 2017 Sony Open

Note that the longest-running record-holder was Souchak, whose 257 in the 1955 Texas Open was long one of golf's most-famous achievements, and a record that stood for 46 years.

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