HE DIDN’T KNOW!
Grace shot 62 ... but had no idea of the record
A SIGNIFICANT milestone in the history of the game was shattered yesterday by a South African who had no idea of the size of his achievement. Would Branden Grace have been able to pull the putter back if he knew all about the incredible history regarding the record score of 63 for all four major championships?
As it was, he putted up from the back of the 18th green and then holed from 4ft for the first round of 62. ‘I just thought I’d shot a great round,’ said Grace. ‘You’ve just shot golf history,’ said his caddie, Zack Rasego.
Johnny Miller shot the first 63 in 1973 to win the US Open and since then there have been no fewer than 28 more, including one by Henrik Stenson to win The Open last year and Justin Thomas at the US Open only last month.
The litany of near misses with regard to nudging the mark to 62 was astonishing. Greg Norman, one of two men to shoot 63 twice in majors — the other is Vijay Singh — three-putted from nowhere at the 18th at Turnberry to miss out.
At Augusta National, of all citadels, Nick Price had a putt for a 62 that horseshoed grotesquely around the hole and stayed out.
In the first round of last year’s Open at Royal Troon, Phil Mickelson had a putt that looked for all the world like it would drop but somehow did not. Mickelson declared himself ‘heartbroken’ because he knew his chance would not come again. He knew all about the record. Indeed, everyone in Southport yesterday who follows golf — well apart from Grace, obviously — knew it was on.
A wet golf course, sunny conditions and hardly a breath of wind provided the perfect recipe. The R&A even played along with the curious decision to move the tee up 30 yards at the fifth to make this par four driveable, and also the sixth to draw the teeth from that dangerous hole.
Grace almost won the US Open at Chambers Bay in 2015 and usually gets a mention whenever golf writers are drawing up their players to watch for majors. His low ball flight is perfect for this particular one and he quickly set about making his gains, reaching the turn in 29 shots.
When he missed from 10ft at the 13th and failed to birdie the parfive 15th, it looked as if his chance was slipping away. That all changed at the 16th where a putt from 40ft fell into the hole on its last revolution. Now he needed to finish 4, 4 and did so with considerable aplomb. What an ice cool mentality he must possess not to be fazed, we thought, until Grace followed his breathtaking round with his jaw-dropping revelation.
It was a bit like an England footballer saying he did not know the nation won the World Cup in 1966. In television interview after interview, the person asking the questions could not keep the incredulity out of their voice. In the press room, we are a bit more blunt. The first question was: ‘How the hell could you not know?’ In the grand scheme of things it does not matter a jot, of course. This is the 443rd major stretching back to 1860, featuring hundreds of thousands of rounds — and now someone has shot a 62.
‘It’s special, it really is,’ said Grace, now finally on message. ‘It’s something I’ll treasure forever.’
He has the chance to complete another piece of history today, of course, for he now has an outside chance to win The Open. Perhaps someone ought to have a word and tell him that if he wins he gets presented with a Claret Jug.