HOYLAKE, England – Frustrated with his position halfway through The Open, Jon Rahm said Friday that he needed a “really good” third round and some help from the field if he wanted to make an improbable title run.

Consider the first part accomplished.

On a better-than-anticipated day of scoring, with overcast skies, little wind and a links softened by early rainfall, Rahm took advantage with a bogey-free 63, setting The Open record at Royal Liverpool and, by the time he finished, moving within just a few shots of the lead.

“I’ve done what I’ve needed,” Rahm said, “which is give myself an opportunity.”

Prior to Rahm’s record-setting round, there had been 10 scores of 65 in a Hoylake Open. But the burly Spaniard shattered that mark by two shots, closing fast with a back-nine 30 to set the mark. It was his fourth round of 63 or better this season, and his career-low score in a major.

“That’s the best round I’ve played on a links golf course ever,” he said.

It had looked like another quiet week for the world No. 3, who after his Masters win tied for 50^th at the PGA and then backdoored a top-10 at the U.S. Open following a Sunday 65. Rahm made the cut here at The Open by a shot, after rounds of 74-70, lamenting his four misses inside 4 feet and a few other costly miscues.

“I was playing good golf and I knew what I was capable of,” he said. 

When Rahm spoke to the media, it was too early to know exactly what his round meant for his Open chances. Having finished at 6-under 207, he was three shots back of Brian Harman. There was still so much golf to be played, with Royal Liverpool as vulnerable as ever.

“There’s a lot of golf to go,” he said. “Honestly, I’m just going to enjoy the afternoon with my family, and that’s about it. There’s nothing to be done.”