Rickie Fowler sets US Open record with 62 at Los Angeles Country Club

Fowler’s 62 matches the major championship record. Branden Grace had a 62 in the third round at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open.

Rickie Fowler plays his shot from the eighth tee during the first round of the 123rd US Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15, 2023. | Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Rickie Fowler set the U.S. Open record Thursday with an 8-under 62 at Los Angeles Country Club, setting the pace for a day of remarkable scoring in the major known as the toughest test in golf.

Fowler’s 62 matches the major championship record. Branden Grace had a 62 in the third round at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open.

Even more remarkable about Fowler’s score is he had two bogeys on this card on the 11th and 17th holes, the front nine of what turned out to be a record round. His 15-foot birdie on the 18th hole was the start of four straight birdies.

He got the record by two-putting from just inside 60 feet for par on the ninth hole.

The record comes on the 50-year anniversary of Johnny Miller becoming the first player to shoot 63 in a U.S. Open, in the final round at Oakmont. Five others have shot 63 in the U.S. Open since then, most recently Tommy Fleetwood in the final round at Shinnecock Hills in 2018.