Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele make U.S. Open history with 62s

Fifty years ago, Johnny Miller set a U.S. Open record with a 63 in the final round at Oakmont. The record had been tied on five occasions, but not surpassed.

A pair of California kids changed that Thursday at The Los Angeles Country Club.

Playing in the morning wave at LACC, Rickie Fowler shot 8-under 62, recording 10 birdies against two bogeys in a signature effort as he eyes his first major championship title.

Two groups later, Xander Schauffele posted 62 in an eight-birdie, no-bogey effort. Schauffele drained a 7-foot birdie at the par-5 eighth and then had 28 feet for birdie at the par-3 ninth to hopscotch the record. He two-putted to settle for a share of new history.

Standing 7 under with two holes to play, Fowler found trouble off the tee at the par-5 eighth but punched out safely, wedged to 13 feet and drained the putt. He two-putted from long range at the closing hole to cement the first 62 at a U.S. Open. Approximately twenty minutes later, Schauffele didn’t miss a beat.

Following Miller’s effort en route to victory at Oakmont, five players have since shot 63 at the U.S. Open: Jack Nicklaus (1980), Tom Weiskopf (1980), Vijay Singh (2003), Justin Thomas (2017) and Tommy Fleetwood (2018).

Prior to Thursday, the lone 62 at a major championship was recorded by Branden Grace in the third round of The 2019 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. That output was doubled Thursday in Hollywood.

Fowler and Schauffele are both regarded as two of this era’s best players yet to win a major title. Fowler has recorded 10 career major top-10s without a win; Schauffele has notched 12 major top-10s without a win. Each holds a non-major title of distinction, Fowler at the 2015 PLAYERS Championship and Schauffele as gold medalist at the 2021 Olympic Men’s Golf Competition.

Fowler holds five TOUR titles; Schauffele has seven TOUR wins. Each will hope to add to that total this weekend in their home state, and they’re off to a fine start – to say the least.