New Zealand's Ryan Fox surged into contention for the 154th British Open title by matching the lowest round in men's major championship history with a brilliant third-round 62 at Royal Birkdale on Saturday. Fox, who began the day at level par, finished at eight under par to move into a share of the lead. He becomes the third player this week to record a 62, following Australia's Lucas Herbert and American Sam Burns, who both achieved the mark on Friday.
Taking advantage of tranquil conditions, Fox opened with an outward nine of 29, recording birdies on the second, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth holes. He added further birdies at the 10th and 14th to finish with nine birdies and one bogey on the par-70 course. Fox nearly shot a 61, but a wayward drive on the 18th landed in a pot bunker. Despite a recovery shot that left him a nearly 50-foot birdie putt, he missed the shot and holed for par.
This performance marks the eighth round of 62 in major championship history, four of which have occurred at Royal Birkdale, starting with Branden Grace in 2017. Fox, the son of rugby great Grant Fox, said it would be "cool" to be in the mix for his maiden major title on Sunday. He plans to adopt an attacking policy for the final round, noting that while the course allows for scoring if executed correctly, it can bite players quickly if they do not.