A third 62 at Birkdale - Fox equals Open record

How often do the buses run at Birkdale?

You wait nine years for a round of 62 in the Open and three come along in little over 24 hours.

Early on Saturday, New Zealand's Ryan Fox carded an eight-under-par 62 in the third round at Royal Birkdale, to match the efforts of Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns on Friday and equal the lowest round in men's major history.

Fox, like Herbert, had the chance to shoot 61, but after finding the bunker off the tee on the 18th, left himself a 48-foot putt for a place in history.

His attempt pulled up five feet short of the hole but he knocked that in to record the eighth round of 62 in a major championship, with half of those coming at Royal Birkdale.

"I probably didn't think about it [the record] too much until I got up and down on 14 for birdie," he told BBC Sport.

"I got a little lucky on the last to have a shot out of the fairway bunker.

"I clipped the very top of the lip with my second shot and wasn't quite sure how it ended up where it did, but I was happy to see it go forward.

"It was a nervy first putt, but I was happy to see the second one go in.

He added: "We've had it as good as you can get weather wise. The wind was down, the greens are perfect, the ball is going miles with the fairways so baked out.

"I had a lot of fun and it's nice knowing I'm going to be in the mix [on Sunday]."

Playing alongside 2024 Open champion Xander Schauffele, Fox made a fast start, with five birdies in his opening eight holes.

His only blemish came on the par-four 13th, failing to get up and down from the left rough after his tee shot was pushed into the fairway bunker.

He responded with three birdies in the next four holes to give himself a shot at breaking history, only to once more find his driving wanting on the last.

Fox holds the clubhouse lead on eight under par. That score tied with Australian Herbert, who tees off at 15:50 BST.

"I'm going to have a chance to win the Open which is pretty exciting," Fox said.

"It'll be pretty nerve wracking out there but being aggressive the last couple of days has served me well. I'll try to do the same [on Sunday] and hope it works out."

Branden Grace became the first man to hit 62 in the men's major during the third round at Royal Birkdale in 2017.

Since then, six more players have emulated his feat, with Fox's playing partner Schauffele making two himself, at the 2023 US Open and 2024 US PGA Championship.

The American's victory at Valhalla two years ago remains the only time a player has won the same major in which they've shot a 62.

"He came out hot," Schauffele said. "He took on risk when he had to, tried to stay aggressive.

"He played amazing and I was trying to hop on whatever wave he was on.

"The wind was down for us. You saw they did not want a 62 looking at the pin sheet.

"I don't know where they're going to put the pins [on Sunday] after Fox's 62 but they were definitely on some slopes. His 62 is impressive, for sure."

Seven days ago, Korea's Haeran Ryu shot an 11-under-par 60 at the Evian Championship, to record the lowest round in any men's or women's major.

Firm, fast and fiery. That was how a scorched Birkdale was expected to play this week after being turned into a golden hue by the British summer heatwave.

The brown fairways were anticipated to be bouncy and bumpy, with world number one Scottie Scheffler fearing "extreme conditions" which would lead to some "weird stuff" happening.

It turns out he was right. But the weird thing, in a sense, was the fact three players have equalled the lowest-ever score at a men's major.

Players insist the conditions are still challenging. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre says he has "never played a course as burnt out" and has been frustrated by shots bounding through fairways into the semi-rough.

"I thought it would be around about the scores we're scoring - it was always going to be difficult," MacIntyre told BBC Sport after Friday's second round.

For others, Birkdale has not been as fearsome as they thought. With a lack of wind on each morning, the early conditions have been relatively benign.

But when the breeze coming off the Irish Sea stiffens, and the overnight watering dries out, the afternoon starters have found conditions tougher.

"When there's not much wind, you definitely have a lot more chances," England's Alex Fitzpatrick told BBC Sport.

"If you find the fairways with no wind, you're not hitting too much in. But as soon as the wind picks up, you're hitting seven-iron from 150 yards, and suddenly you've got tough downwind holes.

"It is definitely a challenge. I did not see eight-unders out there."

When walking the course, it is noticeable fairway sprinklers have greener rings on the side where the wind blows the water.

The greens staff have only been watering the course in the mornings and evenings, meaning the early starters are able to use their spin and control to get closer to the flag on relatively scoreable greens.

"The pins this week have been fantastic, the greens are relatively flat with just subtle knobs and outcroppings," said former European Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson.

Several holes have been redesigned since the Open was last held here in 2017, including turning the par-four fifth into a driveable risk-reward chance and creating a brand-new long par-three 15th

Course architect Tom McKenzie says the intention was never to be too penal.

"I was out with the first group on Thursday morning and on the fifth, the first player laid up, the second drove green and the third drove through the green into the rubbish behind. I thought 'job done'," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"You're trying to test players, ask them questions and put doubt in their mind. Spectators want to see birdies, eagles and the odd mishap.

"Am I worried about low scores? Absolutely not. Great golf is great golf.

"When these guys are on song you just can't protect the course. I'd much rather low scores won rather than what we saw at the PGA Championship at Aronimink or the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, which I found pretty turgid."