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South African golfer Branden Grace became the first player in history to shoot a 62 in a men's major championship Saturday with an eight-under third round of the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.

Numerous golfers had carded a 63 in the four majors; there were at least two instances in each of the sport's premier events, including 10 at the British Open.

The 29-year-old seven-time winner on the European Tour surged into contention with his record-breaking day. He started Saturday in a tie for 45th place and walked off the course in a tie for second at four under, though the afternoon wave of play is still to come.

Jordan Spieth led at six under through two rounds.

Grace started his round with a birdie and kept rolling from there. He added four more birdies on the front side and dropped three strokes in a four-hole stretch starting at No. 14, which left him needing only a par on the 18th to set the new major mark.

Jason Sobel of ESPN provided perspective:

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Jack Nicklaus congratulated Grace, as did fellow golfer Justin Thomas:

Harry Reekie of CNN noted female golfer Hyo-Joo Kim holds the overall major record:

Now the question is what the two-time Presidents Cup selection will do for an encore Sunday.

He's never finished better than third in a major tournament, and his best result in an Open Championship is a tie for 20th two years ago at historic St Andrews.