18-Hole Major Championship Scoring Record
What is the best score for any single round in the history of men's major championships? That record currently stands at 62, and multiple golfers share it.
The four professional majors in men's golf are (in order of their age) the British Open, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and The Masters. Through 2016, no golfer had ever had an 18-hole round of 62 in any of them. But since 2017, seven golfers have recorded 62s.
Branden Grace was the first to do it. Xander Schauffele has scored 62 twice in majors.
The List: 62s in Men's Majors
These are the golfers who currently share the record for lowest round in a men's major championship:- 62 — Branden Grace, 2017 British Open, Royal Birkdale, third round, finished tied for sixth place
- 62 — Rickie Fowler, 2023 U.S. Open, Los Angeles Country Club, first round, finished tied for fifth place
- 62 — Xander Schauffele, 2023 U.S. Open, Los Angeles Country Club, first round, finished tied for 10th place
- 62 — Xander Schauffele, 2024 PGA Championship, Valhalla Golf Club, first round, won tournament
- 62 — Shane Lowry, 2024 PGA Championship, Valhalla Golf Club, third round, finished tied for sixth place
- 62 — Lucas Herbert, 2026 British Open, Royal Birkdale, second round
- 62 — Sam Burns, 2026 British Open, Royal Birkdale, second round
- 62 — Ryan Fox, 2026 British Open, Royal Birkdale, third round
The only major left without an 18-hole score of 62 is The Masters. And not only does the record at The Masters remain 63, but only two golfers have recorded 63s in The Masters.
Note that only one golfer so far with a 62 in a major went on to win that major — Schauffele in the 2024 PGA Championship. But scoring 62 in a major is a pretty good indicator that a golfer is going to have a high finish: All the 62-shooters so far finished in the Top 10 at their respective tournaments.
When Grace scored the first 62 in a major in 2017, whose record did he break? Many golfers had scored 63s in majors by then. So let's ask a different question:
Who had the first 63 in a major? That was Johnny Miller, who scored 63 in the final round at Oakmont Country Club to win the 1973 U.S. Open.
First 64 in a major: Lloyd Mangrum, first round, 1940 Masters
First 65 in a major: Henry Cotton, second round, 1934 British Open
So it took six years for the 18-hole major championship record to fall from 65 to 64, then 33 years for it to fall from 64 to 63. And it took 44 years from Miller's first 63 in a major to fall to Grace's first 62 in a major.
For a look at the lowest, 18-hole scores in each major, check out these articles:
