Lowest 54-Hole Scores in the British Open

The tournament record we are looking at here is the lowest score for three consecutive rounds in the British Open. That could mean the first three rounds (first 54 holes) or last three rounds (last 54 holes).

And the overall record is 196. That is the stroke total Henrik Stenson had over the final three rounds — the second, third and fourth rounds — in the 2016 Open Championship. After scoring 68 in Round 1, Stenson had scores of 65, 68 and 63 over the final 54 holes. He won the tournament by three strokes over runner-up Phil Mickelson.

Stenson's total for the first three rounds was 201, which does not make the following list. But his 196 over the last three rounds wasn't the only scoring record Stenson set in the 2016 Open. His 63 in Round 4 was the first 63 ever scored in the final round by the golfer who won the Open. His 264 total was the new British Open record for 72 holes, and his 20-under score in relation to par was a new record, too.

Best Scores for 3 Consecutive Rounds in The Open

Lowest Scores Over The First 54 Holes

• 197 — Shane Lowry (67, 67, 63), Royal Portrush, 2019
• 198 — Tom Lehman (67, 67, 64), Royal Lytham & St Annes, 1996
• 198 — Louis Oosthuizen (64, 65, 69), Royal St. George’s, 2021

Lowry and Lehman both won the tournament, Oosthuizen did not. Lowry had a 72 in the final round but still won the 2019 British Open by six strokes. Lehman had a final-round 73 but won the 1996 Open by two. (Note that Lehman's score is the only one on either list that happened earlier than 2016.)

Oosthuizen led by only one stroke following the third round in 2021. After scoring 71 in the fourth round, he finished in a tie for third place.

Lowest Scores Over The Final 54 Holes

• 196 — Henrik Stenson (65, 68, 63), Royal Troon, 2016
• 198 — Collin Morikawa (64, 68, 66), Royal St. George’s 2021
• 198 — Jon Rahm (64, 68, 66), Royal St. George’s 2021

As with the list for the first three rounds, the three golfers with the lowest Open Championship totals over the final three rounds includes two golfers who won the tournament and one who did not.

In addition to Stenson in 2016, Morikawa's surge over the last 54 holes earned him victory in the 2021 Open Championship. Rahm joined Oosthuizen in a tie for third place that year.

Related articles:

• Biggest leads after three rounds of British Open
• Lowest score after 36 holes in British Open
• Defending champs who missed British Open cut

Sources:
The R&A. The Open Media Guide, Previous Tournaments.
The R&A. The Open Media Guide, The Open Championship Records, Scoring Records - General.