Nine years ago at Royal Birkdale, a new Open record was set that looked insurmountable. But almost a decade later, three men changed everything and created major history. Alfie Bugg was at Royal Birkdale throughout this year’s Open Championship to investigates the low scoring round phenomenon.
When the world’s best golfers arrived in Southport last week, all the talk was about baked-out fairways, lightning-fast greens, and how difficult the Royal Birkdale links would play at the 154th Open Championship.
But nobody was discussing the possibility of a course record. Yet alone it being matched three times.
In just over 24 hours, Lucas Herbert, Sam Burns and Ryan Fox defied all odds by tying Branden Grace’s Royal Birkdale course record of 62 to etch their name into the record books as three of only four men to score that number in Open history. But how did these unlikely candidates go so low?
Below, we look at what each of the golfers had to say about their record rounds and why they think they did so well.
Course conditions
It’s what fans and journalists have talked about all week, and it’s an essential ingredient in finding shots across the course.
Links golf is synonymous with high winds, hard fairways and natural, uneven greens, but if these factors play into your favour, it can be promising for your scorecard.
Speaking on Saturday on why we have seen so many 62’s this week, 2026 Open Champion Golfer elect Fox insisted it was “Just the good weather conditions”.
He added: “The course is brilliant. It’s obviously very firm and fast. In the morning, the greens are a little bit softer. Obviously, we had pretty much no wind until the last couple of holes today.
“You feel like you can shoot a score in the morning, and the greens are perfect, so if you do roll it well, you feel like you hole everything. That’s kind of the day I had today, and I’m sure the other guys will say the same from yesterday.”
Patience
It may seem obvious for a golfer to say this, but Burns believed his near-perfect golf came as a result of remaining measured in the lead-up to each shot.
The American said that he was “not a huge fan of links golf”, when speaking to the media earlier this week, adding “it’s not something I’m very familiar with”.
But that didn’t mean his approach changed after a disappointing 73 on Thursday.
He said: “I still think the goal is the same, so go out and try to execute each shot and try to put together as good a round as possible.
“As a competitor, you still expect a lot out of yourself. But definitely tried to be a little more patient with myself for sure.
“I think the main thing is you just try to come out and execute to the best of your ability and learn to accept whatever the outcome is.”
A great caddie
They say the brain is the boss in golf, and physical ability is nothing if you don’t have the mental know-how to play the right shots.
These players are amongst the best in the world, but even those at the pinnacle of the sport need some extra support on the course. It’s at this point that the caddy is worth their weight in gold.
Herbert made no secret of the fact that his excellent relationship with his caddie Nick Pugh paid dividends on Friday, and was a massive contributing factor in keeping him grounded and relaxed during the round.
He said of Pugh: “He plays an unbelievable role, whether we’re getting that round going or any round going. He’s one of the hardest workers you’ll see.
“I’ve never stood over a shot and asked him what’s left down here or what’s right over there or anything, and he hasn’t got an answer for me, he’s so well prepared.
“The role he plays today is probably distracting me from the opportunity that I had to shoot 61, 60, or whatever the number might be.
“He’s one of my best friends, he married my wife and I last year. That shows you the relationship that we have. I said to him after missing that putt on the last (for 61) I love doing this stuff with you, mate.”
