Open Championship Record
Lucas Herbert Ties Open Championship Scoring Record with Historic Eight-Under 62
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Key Points
1
Herbert's 62 is the lowest score for an 18-hole round in major championship play.
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Front-nine 28 equalled the Open's all-time nine-hole scoring record, with Denis Durnian's 28 from 1983 cited as the previous mark.
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Herbert's 62 tied the Open Championship scoring record first set by Branden Grace in 2017.
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He drained an 11-metre, double-breaker putt on the par-three 7th during the opening nine, highlighted as a standout moment of his round.
Australian golfer Lucas Herbert fired an 8-under-par 62 in the second round of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, tying the all-time major championship scoring record Golf Week. Herbert matched the mark first set by South Africa's Branden Grace at the same course in 2017, finishing two strokes clear of the field at 8-under-par for the tournament.
Herbert came agonisingly close to golf history. He needed a par on the 72nd hole to shoot a 61 — the first sub-62 round in major championship history. Instead, he missed a 5-foot par putt on the 18th to close with a bogey Journal-News. Sam Burns also carded a 62, holing out from a greenside bunker on the 18th to share the record.
Herbert's Explosive Front Nine Sets a 43-Year-Old Record
Herbert came out of the gate on fire. He made three consecutive birdies to open his round, then drove the green on the par-5 5th for a fourth. On the par-3 7th, he drained a 35-foot, double-breaking putt to pick up a fifth birdie Golf Week. He chipped in for birdie on the 9th to sign for a front-nine 28 — tying the lowest nine-hole score in Open Championship history.
That 28 matched the mark set by English club professional Denis Durnian at the same Royal Birkdale course back in 1983 — 43 years earlier. Herbert hit every green in regulation through his first nine holes. The run put him atop the leaderboard and sent broadcasters into a historic scoring frenzy.
A Missed 5-Footer Denied an Outright Place in History
Herbert kept his foot on the gas through the back nine. He birdied the 11th and 12th in succession, entering what commentators called a '59 watch.' He then birdied the par-4 16th to reach 9-under-par with two holes to play. A par-par finish would have given him a 61 — a score no golfer has ever shot in a major.
It was not to be. On the 18th, Herbert missed his drive into the rough, chipped to 5 feet, and misread the putt. The ball slid past the hole. Herbert walked off with a bogey and a 62. "I hit the putt I wanted," he said afterward. "Was a misread." Journal-News reported that he and Burns now share the record, the sixth time a 62 has been shot in men's major history.
Burns Holes Out From a Bunker to Share the Record
Sam Burns arrived at Royal Birkdale under very different circumstances. The five-time PGA Tour winner had nearly skipped the Open entirely. His wife Caroline was due to give birth on July 14. Daughter Belle arrived early on July 3, clearing Burns to fly to England. He started Friday's round at 4-over par after an opening-round 74.
Burns then went on a stunning back-nine charge, carding a 30 over his final nine holes. He capped the round by holing out from a greenside bunker on the 18th — a dramatic finish to a history-making day. His 62 moved him to 4-under for the championship, four strokes behind Herbert but firmly in contention Journal-News.
A Packed Leaderboard with Major Stars Lurking
Herbert leads at 8-under-par heading into the weekend. Jackson Suber, the surprise first-round leader who had never played links golf before Monday's practice round, sits at 6-under after a steady 1-under 69. Suber told reporters he was "just knowing that good golf is going to take care of everything." Collin Morikawa is one shot further back at 5-under.
Further down the board, defending champion Scottie Scheffler (-2) and Rory McIlroy (even par) are both safely inside the cut line Ludlow Advertiser. Matt Wallace, a local favourite, sits at 4-under. The total purse for the 154th Open Championship is $17.5 million, with the Champion Golfer of the Year set to claim a record individual prize.
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