In order to better understand the occurrence of surface damage in low lambda, Λ, conditions, an experimental study was conducted. The surface damage investigations have been made based on the relationship between Λ values and surface roughness. In this study, the ball roughness, rotational speed, and oil viscosity were varied to obtain a specific Λ value which ranges from 0.10 to 0.90. It was found that three different surface damage modes, namely wear, micro-pitting, and no damage occurred depending on the ball roughness and Λ value. Morphological cross-sectional of each damage mode were observed, and surface fatigue characteristics were identified. The experimental results have shown that surface fatigue, including plastic flow thickness and crack angle, are related to contact conditions, which are influenced by surface roughness and oil film thickness.