Johnny Miller: A US Open 62 is cool – but do it on Sunday

The first player to ever shoot 63 in a major championship has said any player that goes lower at the US Open will need to do it on Sunday to win the tournament to truly emulate his achievement.

Johnny Miller, who hit that number in the US Open 50 years ago, saw this start coming when nobody else did.

Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele lit up the Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday, firing rounds of 62 to break the record for the lowest round in men’s major history.

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Several low scores had been anticipated in the early stages of the tournament, but nothing quite like the clinics put on by Fowler and Schauffele, who posted 18 birdies between them.

However, 1973 winner Miller, who still has a claim for the best major championship round in history to famously win at Oakmont, predicted at the start of the week that his record-breaking US Open score would be eclipsed.

“The secret of a 63 is the fact that I shot it on Sunday and it was enough to win the US Open,” he said on Wednesday.

“There will be guys that will shoot 61 or 62, but can they do it on Sunday to win? That’s what makes the round what it is.”

🎶 I gotta say, it was a good day. 🎶#USOpen pic.twitter.com/G8zqvempWr

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 16, 2023

Miller is right; his magical eight-under 63 on a Sunday to overcome the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino all those years ago will be remembered forever.

Fowler and Schauffele have both etched their names into the US Open history books but now must use their platform to push on and make sure they in contention come Sunday.

And it would be safe to assume that the opening round birdie blitz in relatively benign conditions would certainly not have been music to the ears of the United States Golf Association.

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The USGA take pride in setting up the most brutal tests in the major calendar, so are hardly likely to have been thrilled that the ultra-exclusive North Course in the shadows of Hollywood was dismantled by the two Americans.

Despite Thursday’s impressive scoring, it would still be astounding if Miller’s lowest round to win a major, matched by Henrik Stenson at The Open in 2016, is beaten in LA as players chase the US Open crown come Sunday.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.