62

[Nigel Islam]

Brandon Grace just matched Roy McAvoy for the low round in major championship history

[Matthew Essig]

I am having flashbacks to Justin Thomas' 63 just a month ago from the conversation I have seen about this 62 online and from Johnny.


62 is 62. You got beat Johnny.


I am starting to wonder if someone, like McIlroy or Spieth, can shoot a 59. I would love to see Johnny try to defend his 63 against a 59 lmfao.

[Nigel Islam]

I still think Stenson's round last year is more impressive because he won, but hats off to Branden. He's a very good player and could have won the Chambers Bay US Open. It's only a matter of time before someone shoots lower though.

[David_Tepper]

No wind, no rain, soft conditions and a 7,000 yard course. There may be more than one 62 today.

[Rob Marshall]

No wind, no rain, soft conditions and a 7,000 yard course. There may be more than one 62 today.

Johnny very quickly pointed out how easy the set up is today.

[Tom_Doak]

Holy crap is it easy today!  There are only a half-dozen scores over 70 in the first 40 players to finish!

[Matthew Essig]

No wind, no rain, soft conditions and a 7,000 yard course. There may be more than one 62 today.

Johnny very quickly pointed out how easy the set up is today.

Other than the tee moved up on 5, I have yet to see how the set-up is easy today. The conditions are easy, yes. Not the set-up.

[Rick Shefchik]

Only three other players broke 70 the day Miller shot his 63 at Oakmont. So far today, 31 players have broken 70, including a 62, a 64 and four 65s. As a professional broadcaster, is Miller not supposed to point out that conditions are ideal for scoring today?

[Matthew Essig]

I guess we are going to skip over the fact that Willie Park shot a 55 and 59 in the 1860 Open Championship... I mean they played 12 holes at Prestwick but still 

[Tom_Doak]

The amazing thing is, it's the same course as yesterday, when Justin Thomas shot 80 and Brian Harman 78.  That's how much conditions can mean in links golf.

[Tom Bacsanyi]

I guess we are going to skip over the fact that Willie Park shot a 55 and 59 in the 1860 Open Championship... I mean they played 12 holes at Prestwick but still 

Over 18 holes Willie would have theoretically shot 82.5. 


Are there any 12 hole golf courses in the world?  Seems to me the perfect number of holes.  1.5 to 2 hours a round.  2.5 to 3 if it's absolutely jammed with hacks.

[David_Tepper]

"Are there any 12 hole golf courses in the world?"

Tom B. -

For starters, there is Shiskine GC on the Isle of Arran. 

www.shiskinegolf.com

Marty Bonnar did a very nice photo tour of the course not too long ago.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,64395.0.html

DT

[Cliff Hamm]

There seem to be only three elements that keep the very best from going low-wind, ridiculously fast/undulating greens, narrow fairways/deep rough.  It's almost as if the architecture doesn't matter.

[Philip Gawith]

He was something like 7.5 shots better than the average round on the day which is still a pretty big margin.

[Tom_Doak]

He was something like 7.5 shots better than the average round on the day which is still a pretty big margin.

I'm not sure that is as good as it sounds, but it's a lot better when you are talking about a round AFTER the cut.

[David_Tepper]

Link to multiple links for comments on the round:

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2017/7/22/roundup-branden-grace-becomes-first-to-shoot-62-in-a-major.html

"Great, but not Greatest":

http://www.globalgolfpost.com/now/2017/07/22/open-championship-braden-grace-62-history-royal-birkdale?utm_source=Direct

[Mark_Fine]

We all know that a links course that is soft and without the elements of wind and rain is DRAMATICALLY easier for any player especially the pros.  The difference in difficulty (when in comes to varying conditions) seems far more pronounced than on the regular PGA venues here in the states.  Any thoughts why? 

[jeffwarne]

We all know that a links course that is soft and without the elements of wind and rain is DRAMATICALLY easier for any player especially the pros.  The difference in difficulty (when in comes to varying conditions) seems far more pronounced than on the regular PGA venues here in the states.  Any thoughts why?

Links courses can play very fiery-so when conditions permit, they are very difficult-especially when the wind kicks up.But with modern equipment when they ARE firery. pros can simply avoid the driver and use shorter clubs to hold the fairways.


PGA Tour courses are never fiery-so there's really no difference when it rains.


There was a time when rain made courses play long and difficult and though greens and fairways were easier to hold, longer clubs into greens mitigated some of the effect of the softness.
Additionally, with no irrigation in play, rains will generally run off a links courses very quickly-with irrigation, the fairways aren't starting from a point of being parched.


Nowadays, no courses are long, they just might have to hit drivers and three woods off tees rather than 3 and 4 irons.


Erin Hills showed us all we need to know about the way elite player golf has changed (course impossible for average players and easy for the elite)


And by the way, I was at Birkdale yesterday--it ain't easy-the same as Erin Hills isn't easy.

[Mark_Fine]

Jeff,
Good points.  I can't argue with anything you say.  I've played a lot of links golf and Birkdale many times.  It is tough track even in nice weather but when the wind really blows and the rain squalls come in, it is brutal.   
Mark

[Kalen Braley]

Only three other players broke 70 the day Miller shot his 63 at Oakmont. So far today, 31 players have broken 70, including a 62, a 64 and four 65s. As a professional broadcaster, is Miller not supposed to point out that conditions are ideal for scoring today?

Rick,


Totally agreed, given that Johnny has mentioned his 63 at Oakmont hundreds of times in various telecasts over the years, i'm sure the next time he mentions it we will all finally swoon in awe of his greatness and discredit everyone else's fine play!! 


Get over it already Johnny...


P.S. Why is he doing the Open anyways, can someone please save the US Open from the Fox trainwreck and give it back to NBC!

[Peter Pallotta]

A perfect links course, no? If we didn't mind the pros calling it "fair" we might better appreciate how much it has in common, essentially if not superficially, with courses like St Andrews and Turnberry - both having hosted many low rounds on bright windless days during Opens past. And have things really changed that much? I mean, the 3 irons today's long hitters are using off the tee have about the same loft as the 1-2 irons Nicklaus would've used in the 70s. This is what the world's best golfers have always done at most Open courses, ie barely hung on in the wind and rain, and the strung together 65s when the weather turned better. A 62 is exceptionally good.

[Joe Bausch]

I guess we are going to skip over the fact that Willie Park shot a 55 and 59 in the 1860 Open Championship... I mean they played 12 holes at Prestwick but still 

Over 18 holes Willie would have theoretically shot 82.5. 


Are there any 12 hole golf courses in the world?  Seems to me the perfect number of holes.  1.5 to 2 hours a round.  2.5 to 3 if it's absolutely jammed with hacks.

Rolling Turf GC in Schwenksville, PA is 12 holes.

[archie_struthers]

 


Great round , great score but Johnny's 63 was out of his world.




Still remember  Arnie , grinding it out against John  Schlee, looking up at the scoreboard and seeing that red number. Looked like all the blood was draining from his body .

[Garland Bayley]

It seems to me that there are probably at least 5 different players that could play as well as each player in Johnny's day given the equalizing equipment in use today, especially the ball. That means more than 750 players would make up a field as strong as the Oakmont open. So Johnny benefits from the scarcity of competitive players, and the difficulty of using the equipment of his era to compete.

[Jim Nugent]

Garland, that same logic applies then to Jack.