Golf
What Is the Lowest Single-Round Score at the PGA Championship and Who Shot It?
The PGA Championship has been around for more than a century. However, regarding the lowest single round in tournament history, we can’t use that century-plus worth of data. From 1916 to 1957, the PGA Championship was a match-play event, so those years are out.
In 1958, the first year the tourney used stroke play, the lowest single round at Llanerch Country Club in suburban Philadelphia was a 4-under 66. That was shot by 1953 champ Walter Burkemo, who finished 15 shots back of winner Dow Finsterwald.
That record didn’t last very long, as it was broken the following year at Minneapolis Golf Club by runner-up Jerry Barber, who fired a 65 in the second round. The first 64 in PGA Championship history came in 1964 when eventual winner Bobby Nichols opened his week at Columbus Country Club with a new record. Jack Nicklaus matched it in the final round.
Sixty-four remained the mark to beat until 1975, when Bruce Crampton fired a 7-under 63 in the second round at Firestone Country Club to set a new record. And it’s a record he still owns to this day. It’s just that 15 other golfers have tied the mark since then. Brooks Koepka was the latest to hit the mark during the first round in 2019 at Bethpage Black. He’s also the only player to achieve the feat twice, bringing the total number to 17.
But given that the PGA Championship isn’t played on the same course every year, not all 17 of these 63s are equal in relation to par. But they’re obviously all still impressive.
A 63 has been shot 17 times at the PGA Championship
Here’s the complete list of players who’ve shot a 63 at the PGA Championship.
- 1975: Bruce Crampton, 2nd round, Firestone Country Club (par-70)
- 1982: Raymond Floyd, 1st round, Southern Hills Country Club (par-70)
- 1984: Gary Player, 2nd round, Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club (par-72)
- 1993: Vijay Singh, 2nd round, Inverness Club (par-71)
- 1995: Michael Bradley, 1st round, Riviera Country Club (par-71)
- 1995: Brad Faxon, 4th round, Riviera Country Club (par-71)
- 2000: Jose Maria Olazabal, 3rd round, Valhalla Golf Club (par-72)
- 2001: Mark O’Meara, 2nd round, Atlanta Athletic Club (par-70)
- 2005: Thomas Bjorn, 3rd round, Baltusrol Golf Club (par-70)
- 2007: Tiger Woods, 2nd round, Southern Hills Country Club (par-70)
- 2011: Steve Stricker, 1st round, Atlanta Athletic Club (par-70)
- 2013: Jason Dufner, 2nd round, Oak Hill Country Club (par-70)
- 2015: Hiroshi Iwata, 2nd round, Whistling Straits (par-72)
- 2016: Robert Streb, 2nd round, Baltusrol Golf Club (par-70)
- 2018: Charl Schwartzel, 2nd round, Bellerive Country Club (par-70)
- 2018: Brooks Koepka, 2nd round, Bellerive Country Club (par-70)
- 2019: Brooks Koepka, 1st round, Bethpage Black (par-70)
Stats courtesy of PGATour.com
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