15 June 2023 , 21:59
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Rickie Fowler broke a 123-year-old record by becoming the first person to shoot a 62 at the US Open - only for Xander Schauffele to repeat the feat a mere minutes later.
Fowler, 34, was also the first player to make ten birdies in a round at the championship, adding two bogeys to finish eight-under. A score of 62 is just one shy of the Los Angeles Country Club record.
Fellow American Schauffele soon had the opportunity to equal that course high and really steal the spotlight from Fowler. However, he fell short with a putt that would have ensured a successful 61 attempt.
As a result, both sit atop the early leaderboard on the opening day of the US Open at eight-under. The two completed the record rounds within 20 minutes of each other.
Schauffele admitted that Fowler's play motivated him to chase his compatriot. "It's a great start," he told Sky Sports. "I hit a lot of really good shots.
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"Rickie was just right in front of me - I saw him marching up the leaderboard - and I was playing really good golf, so I figured 'why not just chase him.'"
The California native went on to explain further about how he managed to match history. "It just plays hard, and you have to think your way around the property, take your medicine when you can, and try to capitalise when you can as well. I played some really good golf and kept making birdies.
Rickie Fowler was the sole US Open record holder for all of 20 minutes (Alex Gallardo/UPI/REX/Shutterstock)"Without the sun coming out, the course played a little bit softer than everyone was anticipating. The green speeds were perfect for holing putts. You were able to be a little bit more aggressive if you were playing well, and that's what we were able to do."
Fowler also spoke to Sky about the feat. "It was close to a dream start, in a way," he explained.
"I wasn't sure exactly what the number [record] was. I really didn't see a scoreboard on my back nine - until I got to the ninth green, and I saw that Xander [Schauffele] was at seven [under at the time]. It was cool to see us tagging along.
"I was just trying to keep moving forward, keep making good swings and keep making good putts and get into the house with a solid round.
"I know it's kind of a cliche, and it's said all of the time, but you can't win it on Thursday, but you can definitely lose it. We're off to a good start. There's a significant amount of golf left to play."
World number one Scottie Scheffler, who finished three-under, was understandably impressed by the pair. "A heck of a round by Rickie [and Xander]," he said to Sky before adding: "I didn't see 8-under out there today, especially with the way I started."