62 possible at the British Open as the wind relents
The Old Lady is without her clothes on Sunday.
The wind has relented for the day-late third round of the British Open and most of the field is taking advantage of the good scoring conditions. Several players have done well enough to give themselves a chance at a men’s major-record 62 with a few holes to play at the Old Course.
Marc Leishman was the first to give himself a chance. At 8 under through 16 holes, Leishman’s approach shot to the Road Hole 17th gave him a 15-foot look at a birdie that would have made the 18th much more interesting. Instead, it nipped the edge of the hole and didn’t drop. After an uninspired par at the last, Leishman turned in 8-under 64 for the round of the championship.
Eddie Pepperell was the next contestant trying to shoot 62, getting to the 17th tee at 8 under on the day after birdies at the 15th and 16th holes. His chances disappeared quickly, however, as his tee shot ricocheted off the Old Course Hotel to the right of the hole and remained out of bounds. Pepperell made a round-ruining double bogey.
There have been 26 rounds of 63 in a men’s major championship, including eight at the British Open. Rory McIlroy was the last to shoot that number in the Open, doing so in Round 1 in 2010.
While these two players couldn’t see through 62, it’s an indication that, barring a drastic change in the conditions, their rounds indicated the possibility of some major history.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
