Ryan Fox joins exclusive '62 club' at The Open

Ryan Fox carded a stunning eight-under-par 62 in the third round of The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, becoming the latest player to join the exclusive '62 club' in men's major championship history. His round, featuring nine birdies and a lone bogey, matched the lowest round ever recorded in an Open Championship.

Fox's effort followed similar 62s from Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns earlier in the week, marking the first time three players have shot 62 in the same major. Herbert's 62 came in the second round, also at Royal Birkdale, while Burns matched it later that day. The Australian Herbert briefly held the clubhouse lead before a par-bogey finish, while Burns holed out from a greenside bunker on the 18th to seal his 62.

The '62 club' in men's majors

Before this week, only three players had ever shot 62 in a men's major: Branden Grace was the first, doing so in the third round of the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale. Rickie Fowler then carded a 62 at the 2023 US Open, and Xander Schauffele has done it twice — at the 2023 US Open and the 2024 PGA Championship. Grace's round was bogey-free with eight birdies, while Fowler mixed 10 birdies with two bogeys.

• Branden Grace (2017 Open): 62, Royal Birkdale, bogey-free
• Rickie Fowler (2023 US Open): 62, Los Angeles Country Club, 10 birdies
• Xander Schauffele (2023 US Open and 2024 PGA Championship): first to shoot 62 twice
• Lucas Herbert (2024 Open): 62, Royal Birkdale, eight birdies
• Sam Burns (2024 Open): 62, Royal Birkdale, holed bunker shot on 18
• Ryan Fox (2024 Open): 62, Royal Birkdale, nine birdies

The record for the lowest round in a major remains 61, set by Haeran Ryu in the third round of the Amundi Evian Championship on the LPGA Tour. On the men's side, no one has yet broken 62, but this week at Royal Birkdale has shown that the mark is increasingly under threat.

Fox's round propelled him up the leaderboard, while Herbert and Burns also moved into contention. The final round of The Open will determine if any of them can go even lower and potentially claim the Claret Jug.