Lowest Scores in Back-to-Back Rounds of British Open

What is the lowest stroke total for any two consecutive rounds played in The Open Championship? That record currently stands at 127, and only two golfers have gone below 130 in back-to-back rounds. But a handful of others have posted 130 over 36 holes of The Open.

The Record: 127, Sam Burns, 2026

Burns took the record away from Louis Oosthuizen, the other golfer to go lower than 130 in consecutive Open rounds, in the 2026 Open. Burns' 127 was recorded over the second and third rounds.

In the second round in 2026, Burns tied the Open's 18-hole scoring record with a 62. That score also tied the lowest 18-hole score in any major championship. In the third round, Burns added a 65 for the 127 total over the middle 36 holes. Following that third round, Burns had a two-stroke lead in the tournament. After a 72 in the final round, he finished in third place.

The List: Lowest Scores for Consecutive Round in British Open

  • 127 — Sam Burns, 62 in second round, 65 in third round, 2026 at Royal Birkdale (finished third)
  • 129 — Louis Oosthuizen, 64 in first round, 65 in second round, 2021 at Royal St George’s (finished third)
  • 130 — Tom Watson, 65 in third round, 65 in final round, 1977 at Turnberry (won)
  • 130 — Ian Baker-Finch, 64 in third round, 66 in final round, 1991 at Royal Birkdale (won)
  • 130 — Nick Faldo, 66 in first round, 64 in second round, 1992 at Muirfield (won)
  • 130 — Fuzzy Zoeller, 66 in second round, 64 in third round, 1994 at Turnberry (finished third)
  • 130 — Anders Forsbrand, 66 in third round, 64 in final round, 1994 at Turnberry (finished fourth)
  • 130 — Brandt Snedeker, 66 in first round, 64 in second round, 2012 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes (finished third)
  • 130 — Marc Leishman, 64 in third round, 66 in final round, 2015 at The Old Course at St. Andrews (tied first, lost in playoff)
  • 130 — Ryan Fox, 68 in second round, 62 in third round, 2026 at Royal Birkdale (won)
  • 130 — Ryan Fox, 62 in third round, 68 in final round, 2026 at Royal Birkdale (won)
Watson was the golfer who established the record of 130 (eventually lowered by Oosthuizen) in the 1977 British Open, and his is the most-impressive score on the list above. Not only did Watson's record-setting back-to-back rounds happen in the third and final rounds of his victory, but in one of the most-famous head-to-head battles in golf history. That was the year of the "Duel in the Sun," when Watson scored 65-65 over the last 36 holes to beat by one stroke his playing companion in both those rounds, Jack Nicklaus, who scored 65-66.

Baker-Finch and Faldo are the other two winners on the list, and Baker-Finch's back-to-back beauties also (like Watson's) happened over the final two rounds. Leishman lost in a playoff after his own back-to-back bonanza over the last 36 holes, and nobody on the list finished lower than tied fourth.

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Sources:
The R&A. The 148th Open Media Guide. The Open Championship Records, Scoring Records, 2019.
The R&A. The 153rd Open Media Guide. The Open Championship Records, Scoring Records, 2025.

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