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Royal Birkdale, located approximately 45 minutes north of Liverpool, was founded back in July 1889. The Open was first played here in 1954, when Australian legend Peter Thompson defeated American Bobby Locke by one stroke.
This year the venue hosts The Open for the 11th time. The women’s tournament has also been held here seven times. From deep fairway bunkers to towering dunes, the course has all the characteristics of a traditional links competition.
The current men’s distance record was set in 2017, so who owns it?
Royal Birkdale Circuit Record
During his third round of the 2017 Open, Branden Grace made history by becoming the first golfer ever to shoot a 62 in a men’s major.
The South African started the day at four over par, ten shots behind leader Jordan Spieth. Birdie’s 15-foot putt on the first hole led him to a round that included eight Birdies.
He explained, “It’s very important to me that if I can make a good putt on the first hole, I’ll feel good going into the rest of the round.”
After a few easy pars, Grace stepped up and holed a 40-foot birdie putt to get two under for the first four holes.
With momentum on his side, Grace continued to the fifth green where another birdie was added to his card. After receiving two more putts on the eighth and ninth, Grace made the turn at five under par (29).
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Coming confidently into the back nine, Grace made four pars in a row before another long putt fell on the par three (14th), leaving the South African at six under par with four holes to play.
After failing to capitalize on a birdie opportunity at the par-five 15th, Grace quickly made amends when he holed another birdie putt at the 16th.
Finishing the final two holes with birdie and par, Grace walked away with a 62, eight under par, breaking the course’s previous record by one shot and setting the lowest score in men’s major history.
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The South African, combined with skillful field management and excellent grass play, gained momentum with the help of his back nine to set a new course record.
It was a round for the history books. An incredible bogey free 62 in golf’s oldest tournament is something many professionals dream of.
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Check | Player | Year |
62 | Branden Grace | 2017, round 3 |
63 | Haotong Li | 2017, round 4 |
63 | Jody Mudd | 1991, 4th round |
64 | Ian Baker-Finch | 1991, round 3 |
Royal Birkdale Women’s Course Record
The women’s distance record was set in 2010 at the Women’s Open by American Morgan Pressel.
Pressel began her third round at four over par, and back-to-back setbacks left her six over par.
Despite the poor start, the American’s round took a turn from there, demonstrating a remarkable comeback.
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Pressel made eight birdies and an eagle for a superb seven-under-par 65.
The American reflected on her round and explained: “I hit a lot of shots today and if you can hit the greens you can score pretty well.”