Lowest round in a golf major

Plenty of golfers have shot 63 or better in the men’s and women’s majors. And seeing as that’s why you’re here, let’s dive right into our full rundown of the lowest rounds of golf in major history…

Lowest rounds of golf in major history

A few players have carded a 59 on the various main tours, but no one has got close to golf’s magic number in the majors. Let’s start with the 63s…

Who are the golfers to shoot 63 in a major?

Forty-two golfers have carded a 63 in a major championship, including 38 men and four women. Johnny Miller was the first in 1973 – at the US Open, no less – and it wasn’t beaten for a frankly ludicrous 44 years.

Here’s the full list in bullet point form…

– Johnny Miller (1973 US Open, Oakmont)
– Bruce Crampton (1975 PGA Championship, Firestone)
– Mark Hayes (1977 Open Championship, Turnberry)
– Jack Nicklaus (1980 US Open, Baltusrol)
– Tom Weiskopf (1980 US Open, Baltusrol)
– Isao Aoki (1980 Open Championship, Muirfield)
– Raymond Floyd (1982 PGA Championship, Southern Hills)
– Patty Sheehan (1984 Women’s PGA Championship, Jack Nicklaus SC)
– Gary Player (1984 PGA Championship, Shoal Creek)
– Nick Price (1986 Masters, Augusta National)
– Greg Norman (1986 Open Championship, Turnberry)
– Paul Broadhurst (1990 Open Championship, St Andrews)
– Jodie Mudd (1991 Open Championship, Royal Birkdale)
– Nick Faldo (1993 Open Championship, Royal St George’s)
– Payne Stewart (1993 Open Championship, Royal St George’s)
– Vijay Singh (1993 PGA Championship, Inverness)
– Helen Alfredsson (1994 US Women’s Open, Indianwood)
– Michael Bradley (1995 PGA Championship, Riviera)
– Brad Faxon (1995 PGA Championship, Riviera)
– Greg Norman (1996 Masters, Augusta National)
– Meg Mallon (1999 Women’s PGA Championship, DuPont CC)
– Jose Maria Olazabal (2000 PGA Championship, Valhalla)
– Mark O’Meara (2001 PGA Championship, Atlanta Athletic Club)
– Vijay Singh (2003 US Open, Olympia Fields)
– Thomas Bjorn (2005 PGA Championship, Baltusrol)
– Tiger Woods (2007 PGA Championship, Southern Hills)
– Rory McIlroy (2010 Open Championship, St Andrews)
– Steve Stricker (2011 PGA Championship, Atlanta Athletic Club)
– Jason Dufner (2013 PGA Championship, Oak Hill)
– Hiroshi Iwata (2015 PGA Championship, Whistling Straits)
– Phil Mickelson (2016 Open Championship, Royal Troon)
– Henrik Stenson (2016 Open Championship, Royal Troon)
– Robert Streb (2016 PGA Championship, Baltusrol)
– Justin Thomas (2017 US Open, Erin Hills)
– Haotong Li (2017 Open Championship, Royal Birkdale)
– Tommy Fleetwood (2018 US Open, Shinnecock Hills)
– Brooks Koepka (2018 PGA Championship, Bellerive)
– Charl Schwartzel (2018 PGA Championship, Bellerive)
– Brooks Koepka (2019 PGA Championship, Bethpage)
– Shane Lowry (2019 Open Championship, Royal Portrush)
– Bubba Watson (2022 PGA Championship, Southern Hills)
– Ayaka Furue (2022 Evian Championship, Evian Resort)
– Tommy Fleetwood (2023 US Open, LACC)
– Jon Rahm (2023 Open Championship, Royal Liverpool)

And a 62?

Branden Grace holds the record for the lowest round in a men’s major. The South African wrote himself into the history books during the third round of the British Open at Royal Birkdale in 2017. Benign conditions, sure, but you’ve still got to put the ball in the hole – and Grace needed just 62 blows to get round the Southport links.

In the women’s game, Minea Blomqvist and Lorena Ochoa have hit that number in LPGA majors.

– Minea Blomqvist (2004 Women’s Open, Sunningdale)
– Lorena Ochoa (2006 ANA Inspiration, Mission Hills)
– Branden Grace (2017 Open Championship, Royal Birkdale)
– Rickie Fowler (2023 US Open, LACC)
– Xander Schauffele (2023 US Open, LACC)

Surely not a 61 in a major – the lowest round in a major golf tournament?!

You better believe it. In 2014, Hyo-joo Kim did just that when she cruised round the Evian Championship like she was having a friendly game at her local municipal.

Not only that, Jongeun Lee and Leona Maguire matched that target seven years later in the same tournament.

– Hyo-joo Kim (2014 Evian Championship, Evian Resort)
– Jeongeun Lee6 (2021 Evian Championship, Evian Resort)
– Leona Maguire (2021 Evian Championship, Evian Resort)

So no sub-60 rounds?

Nope. Not even a round of 60. But there have been plenty of sub-60 rounds on golf’s various main circuits, including the PGA Tour, European Tour and LPGA. You can read all about that right here if you like.

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