Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns have equalled the lowest scoring round in men’s major history in the second round of The Open, writes Lewis Jones at Royal Birkdale.
Prior to Friday only five players had ever shot 62 at a major championship, but both Australian Herbert and America’s Burns joined that list with stunning rounds.
Herbert also equalled the record for the lowest nine-hole score at The Open as he made the turn with 28 after six birdies.
The tournament leader looked set to create a new best score as he stared down the 18th hole from three foot, but a near miss led to disbelief as he finished with a bogey.
Millimetres from men’s major history.
An incredible card of 62 from clubhouse leader Lucas Herbert. pic.twitter.com/IlREzoAMfD
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2026
Herbert said: “I’m absolutely disappointed, and at the same time, so proud of today. Very proud to put my name on that list of guys that have shot 62 in a major championship.
“It’s kind of holding two emotions there at the same time. It’s a tricky one, and I’m sure once the dust settles, I’ll be able to sort of decompress it a little bit.
“The first 12 holes, I might not play 12 better holes in my life. I was 8-under through 12, and you could make a very good argument that I could have been a couple better as well.”
The Liv golfer praised his caddie, Nick Pugh, for his role in distracting him from the opportunity of shooting a possible 61 or 60.
Pugh said: “I was well aware pretty much all day to be honest, but in my job, I’m not going to make better decisions by worrying about that too much. So I tried to just sort of ignore all that.
“It was a huge amount of fun. Even walking down 18 there, we kind of looked at each other and on how much fun we had and how cool it was.
“I’ve had a pretty long relationship with The Open championship. I tried to play many years ago and I never quite got into this sort of field. Thankfully, I’m a much better caddie than I was golfer.”
Just two games later and Burns also carded a tied record of 62, with an impressive bunker hole out at the 18th.
The American finished on 73 for Thursday but after eight birdies, with six of them coming on the back nine, he has pushed his way up to fourth with five over par.
The 29-year-old said: “I caught myself by surprise. Yeah, I honestly feel like I played a pretty solid round of golf yesterday and then just a terrible finish there on 16, 17, 18.
“I thought coming into the day if I could get it to red numbers for the golf tournament, that would be a pretty good spot. I think the finish there the last three holes was just a bonus.
“It was a tricky bunker shot because I had to land it in the fringe there and use the slope down to the hole. Definitely very lucky for it to go in.”
Follow MerseySportLive on X and Instagram for live updates throughout The Open weekend.
