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TSN Senior Reporter

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Branden Grace swears he didn’t know what all the excitement was as he walked up 18. There were lots of cameras, fans cheering and an inordinate amount of media walking inside the ropes.

It wasn’t until he tapped in his final putt for a 62 that his caddie, Zack Rasego, let him in on just what he’d done.

“Zack came up and said, ‘You're in the history books,’” revealed Grace. “And I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’"

There have been 441 men’s major championships prior to this week with tens of thousands of rounds played in them. Prior to Saturday, the best score anyone has returned was 63. It was done 31 times.

Grace’s round, however, was one better.

“It's something I really enjoyed and something I'll remember forever, definitely,” said the South African golfer after signing his card.

Grace began the day at four over par, well back in the pack. But when he finished, he was just two off the lead with Jordan Spieth still waiting to tee off.

Overnight rains softened up Royal Birkdale and after a harsh day on Friday, the winds also dropped to be almost inconsequential. Pin flags drooped and the greens grabbed approaches like Velcro.

Of the first 41 rounds played on Saturday, just six were over par and the scoring was on a record pace. Grace’s day however, stood out for finally breaking the barrier of 63, which had been threatened many times but never broken.

“I feel I'm playing well,” Grace stated. “And I just want to get out there again tomorrow and try to do something similar, just play some good golf. And obviously it makes me feel a lot better after the score I shot today.”