Ryan Fox carded a 9-under-par 62 on Saturday at the British Open, matching the major championship record for the lowest single-round score. He became the third golfer this week to achieve the historic mark, following Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns, who each posted 62s on Friday.
Fox, a 39-year-old from New Zealand, recorded nine birdies and one bogey during his round. The performance brought him to 8-under par and into a tie for the lead, awaiting the later tee times.
"Being picky, I’d want a couple of drives back today maybe, but outside of that, I feel like I didn’t really miss a shot," Fox said. "I had a couple of great shots down the stretch, putted really nicely. When you’re out in the morning, when the wind’s down around here, there’s almost some pressure on to shoot a score."
Fox was playing in the same group as Xander Schauffele, who shot a 62 in the 2023 U.S. Open and has posted a 62 in the 2024 PGA Championship. Schauffele shot a 4-under-par 66 on Saturday.
"It was nice," Fox said of playing with Schauffele. "Xander and I had a lot of fun out there today. Both made a bunch of birdies and kind of fed off each other. I would have taken 62 on a Saturday, that’s for sure."
Schauffele commented on Fox's performance, noting that "He came out hot" and "was hitting it close, making the putts he should make." He also observed that the wind was down during their morning tee time and the course conditions were softer, though he added that the pin placements were challenging.
Fox's 62 is the eighth such score in major championship history. Other golfers to have shot 62 in a major include Scottie Scheffler (twice), Shane Lowry, Branden Grace, Herbert, and Burns. Schauffele has also achieved the feat twice.
Fox, who has played in 28 major championships with two top-20 finishes, had an opportunity to hold the record outright with a 61, but his 48-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole fell short. He acknowledged that the possibility of shooting 62 "crept into my head on 10, but I wouldn’t say it was there." After a birdie on the 14th, he felt he had a chance.
His front nine included birdies on holes 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8, resulting in a 29. He added birdies on 10, 14, 16, and 17 on the back nine, with his only bogey coming on the 13th hole. "It's nice to be in that head space," Fox said. "Hopefully, I can find something similar (Sunday)."