HOLE BY HOLE, HOW HE DID IT
Total 1 - BIRDIE: Driver - gap wedge (127 yards) - putt (16 feet) ............. 3 2 - PAR: Driver - gap wedge (130y) - 2 putts ................................... 7 3 - PAR: Driver - 9-iron (158y) - 2 putts (8ft).................................. 11 4 - BIRDIE: 8-iron - putt (35ft) ...................................................... 14 5 - BIRDIE: Driver - 2 putts (25ft) ................................................. 17 6 - PAR: Driver - 3-iron (218y) - 2 putts ......................................... 21 7 - PAR: 9-iron - 2 putts (14ft) ....................................................... 24 8 - BIRDIE: Driver - 9-iron (188y) - putt (25ft) ............................... 27 9 - BIRDIE: Driver - gap wedge (129y) - putt (12ft) ....................... 29 10 - PAR: 5-iron - 9-iron (161y) - 2 putts (from short of green) ...... 33 11 - PAR: Driver - 7-iron (173y) - 2 putts ....................................... 37 12 - PAR: 6-iron - 2 putts (15ft) ..................................................... 40 13 - PAR: Driver - 8-iron (180y) - 2 putts (11ft).............................. 44 14 - BIRDIE: 9-iron - putt (34ft) .................................................... 46 15 - PAR: Driver - 2-iron (240y) - chip - 2 putts (7ft) ...................... 51 16 - BIRDIE: Driver - 9-iron (142y) - putt (28ft) ............................ 54 17 - BIRDIE: Driver - 3-iron (239y) - 2 putts (26ft) ........................ 58 18 - PAR: Driver - pitching wedge (165y) - 2 putts (from back of green) .....62 jumper and made it tough for myself. But I knocked in the two-footer or three-footer – and Zack came up and said, ‘You’re in the history books’.
“And I was like: ‘What are you talking about?’ So now it makes the day even sweeter.
“It’s special, it really is. It’s something I really enjoyed and something I’ll remember forever, definitely.”
Jodie Mudd shot the previous lowest score of 63 at Royal Birkdale at the 1991 Open.
During Friday’s second round played in horrible conditions, only eight players broke par. “The weather is a lot better than yesterday,” added Grace with a laugh.
Neat
“The greens are softer, gettable. And they have moved up a couple of tees so it’s giving guys an opportunity to be aggressive.”
Playing partner Jason Dufner, who shot a 63 at the 2013 US PGA, said: “It was kinda neat to be part of history.
“It was a great experience for him. A semi-cool experience for me. I was rooting for him on the final hole.”
American Johnny Miller, the first man to shoot 63 in a Major, made the point Royal Birkdale was playing as easy as an Open course could do with clear skies, no wind and receptive greens after heavy rainfall on Friday.
“Grace played really well,” he told the Golf Channel.
“He had 28 putts – 28 putts is quite a few putts for someone who shoots 62. The course was set up really, really easy, but it was still a heck of a round.”