Last Monday we said the weather would decide what it took to win at Royal Birkdale: 12 under in the calm of 2017, 3 over in the wind of 2008. This year it stayed kind, and the course gave up more than anyone expected.
- 3 Rounds of 62, tying the lowest score in men's major history: Ryan Fox, Sam Burns and Lucas Herbert
- 130 Fox's last 36 holes, matching the lowest closing 36 in Open history
- 270 The winning total, 10 under. Two shots higher than Spieth's 268 in 2017
- 29 Majors Fox had played without a top 10 before this one
- 56 Fox's world ranking going into the week
- 5 Birdies made on the 18th on Sunday. Fox's was the fifth
- 7 Shots Cameron Young started behind on Sunday, before a 64 took him to second
What the 62s tell you
A 62 used to be a once-in-a-generation score in a major. Three at one Open says as much about the conditions as the players. Near-perfect weather let a links designed to be fought be attacked instead.
It also shows how much the weekend decided. Fox shot 72 on Thursday and 68 on Friday, which is steady rather than special. Then came the 62 on Saturday. His winning margin was one shot.
The money
The purse was a record $17.75 million, with $3.25 million to the winner. Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood shared fourth on 7 under.
Sources: Golf Digest (19 July); Plugged In Golf recap (July); Golf Monthly via Octafield (20 July); Golf Channel (20 July).