All-Time Record: Most Birdies in Champions Tour Tournament

What is the record for most total birdies by a golfer in a single Champions Tour tournament? That record is 28, and it is shared, not surprisingly, by two Hall of Famers. But, in what is a surprise, those two golfers set the record in major championships.

Majors are usually thought of as tough tournaments, events where low scores are difficult to come by. But in two senior majors back in the 1990s, two golfers recorded 28 birdies each.

Overall Champions Tour Record: Most Birdies in a Tournament

The two recordholders are Jack Nicklaus and Isao Aoki:

• 28 birdies: Jack Nicklaus, 1990 Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship
• 28 birdies: Isao Aoki, 1997 The Tradition

Nicklaus got to 28 birdies first, bagging that many birds in the 1990 Senior Tournament Players Championship (now called the Senior Players Championship). He won that tournament with a score of 27-under-par 261 at Dearborn Country Club in Dearborn, Michigan. At the time, that 261 total was also the lowest winning total in Champions Tour history (a record since surpassed).

In 1997, Aoki became the second senior golfer to record 28 birdies on the Champions Tour, doing so at another major, The Tradition. He finished at 14-under 272. But Aoki did not win — in fact, he finished six strokes behind the champ, Gil Morgan. Aoki did finish solo second, at least.

Most Birdies In a 54-Hole Champions Tour Tournament

Many tournaments on the Champions Tour are 54 holes (three rounds) rather than 72 holes (four rounds) in duration. So here are the golfers who share the 54-hole record for most birdies on the senior tour:

• 26 birdies: Loren Roberts, 2006 MasterCard Championship at Hualalai
• 26 birdies: Fred Couples, 2011 AT&T Championship
• 26 birdies: Duffy Waldorf, 2015 Toshiba Classic