Lowest 72-hole scores in golf majors: All-time best scores from the PGA, Masters, U.S. Open and The Open

In many ways, golf’s greatest appeal to fans is how often it humanizes the players.

Even the game’s greats have rounds littered with difficult moments and seemingly simple mistakes that the average fan can at least somewhat relate to. On the other hand, there are the truly elite moments that only a few players in the world can match.

When the pressure is the highest, the best players in the world rise to the occasion — and some in the 21st century have rewritten records for greatness in majors with 72-hole scores that are simply stunning. 

Here’s what to know about the 72-hole score record at a major and how the record has been redefined since 2016. 

Lowest 72-hole score at a golf major

Entering the 2024 PGA Championship, the lowest score-to-par at a major championship was 20-under par. That occurred three times at three different major championships.

Jason Day was the first to accomplish that feat at the 2015 PGA Championship, played at Whistling Straits. Henrik Stenson matched that feat a year later at the 2016 Open Championship when he dominated Royal Troon to earn his lone major win.

Dustin Johnson then became the first golfer to card a 20-under score at the Masters. He bested the previous top mark of 18-under at Augusta National co-held by Tiger Woods (1997) and Jordan Spieth (2015).

Cameron Smith was the most recent golfer to card a 20-under score at a major. He did so at the 2022 Open Championship as part of a final-round 64 that allowed him to blow by Rory McIlroy to earn his first major win.

Now, Schauffele holds the 72-hole scoring record thanks to the 21 under he posted at Valhalla Golf Club.

Below is a look at the lowest 72-hole scores at each of golf’s four majors:

Lowest PGA Championship scores

Jason Day entered play Sunday with the lowest 72-hole score in PGA Championship with a mark of 20 under. He achieved that feat in 2015 at Whistling Straits, after a third-day 66 game him a lead he would not relinquish.

Day carded rounds of 68 or better in each of his outings at Whistling Straits and earned a three-shot win over Jordan Spieth. His 20-under mark fell at the hands of Schauffele during the 2024 PGA Championship, but it remains one of the best scores in the championship’s history.

DeChambeau also deserves a shout for matching Day’s record in his losing effort against Schauffele. Both he and Schauffele took advantage of the quality scoring chances throughout the week; DeChambeau just came up one stroke short of winning.

Below are the best 72-hole scores at the PGA Championship, including all scores 16-under or better:

Lowest Open Championship scores

Henrik Stenson carded the best-ever score at the Open Championship with an impressive showing at Royal Troon. He was neck-and-neck with Phil Mickelson atop the leaderboard for most of the first 54 holes but shot an 8-under 63 on the final day of the major to run away with the title.

Stenson’s 63 was, at the time, tied for the best round ever at a major championship. Five players have since shot a 62 — including Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry at the 2024 PGA Championship — but Stenson’s round in 2016 is remembered as one of the best in Open Championship history.

Smith came one stroke shy of matching Stenson’s final-round 63 at the 2022 Open Championship. He shot a final-round 64 to best Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young in a tightly contested major. Smith defected for LIV Golf shortly thereafter, but he left a lasting impact with his performance at The Open.

Below are the best 72-hole scores at the Open Championship, including all scores 16-under or better:

Lowest Masters scores

Dustin Johnson is the lowest Masters scorer in tournament history. He carded a 20-under score during the rescheduled 2020 edition of the event. He ran away with the major as a wire-to-wire winner, being tied for first after each of the first two days before grabbing a solo lead in Rounds 3 and 4 to earn a five-shot win.

Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth were previously tied for the Masters record with marks of 18-under, achieved in 1997 and 2015, respectively. Those three remain the only players to shoot 18-under or better at Augusta National’s marquee event.

Below are the best 72-hole scores at the Masters, including all scores 16 under or better:

MORE: Who has won the most green jackets in Masters history?

Lowest U.S. Open scores

The U.S. Open has been the hardest major at which to score throughout its history. Only two players — Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka — have posted marks of 16-under or better at the even while just five winners have been double-digits under par.

Below are the best 72-hole scores at the U.S. Open, including all scores 16-under or better:

In total, 32 players have shot 16-under par or better at golf’s four major tournaments, and 23 of them have won their respective tournaments.

But none has shot better than the 21 under carded by Schauffele at the 2024 PGA Championship.