Australian golfer Lucas Herbert produced one of the greatest rounds in major championship history on Friday, firing an eight-under-par 62 at Royal Birkdale to equal the lowest score ever recorded in a men's major and take a two-shot lead at the British Open.
Herbert came within one putt of becoming the first man to shoot 61 in a major but missed a five-foot putt for par on the 18th green, ending his round at eight-under for the championship. His spectacular performance, which included nine birdies, moved him to the top of the leaderboard and two strokes clear of second-place contenders Jackson Suber, Cameron Young, and Ryan Gerard, who are all at six-under.
Earlier in the day, American Bryson DeChambeau had carded a four-under 66 to reach seven under, but a two-shot penalty for improving his swing path in long grass dropped him to five under. DeChambeau now sits alongside American Sam Burns, who also matched Herbert's 62 later in the day, and South Korea's Si Woo Kim, three shots off the lead.
Herbert admitted disappointment at missing the chance for a solo scoring record but quickly focused on his pursuit of the Claret Jug. "I have dreams of winning the Open Championship for sure — and I'm in a great position to do that," Herbert said. "I would love to tick off more than shooting 62 and, yeah, I've got a great opportunity; I'm looking forward to getting after it on the weekend."
The Victorian golfer made a blistering start, birdying his first three holes and adding three more before the turn, including a 36-foot putt on the seventh and a 25-foot effort on the ninth. His front-nine score of 28 equaled the Open record for that nine holes, set by Denis Durnian at the same course in 1983.
Further birdies at the 11th, 12th, and 16th holes had Herbert briefly on pace for an unprecedented 59 in major history. However, a wayward drive on the 18th led to a bogey, and the missed putt prevented the historic 61.
"I can at least sleep easy tonight knowing I didn't hit a bad putt, I just misread it," Herbert reflected. "But I felt like I'd kind of let everyone down a little bit there on the last miss because it just felt like everyone wanted to be a part of watching that bit of history."
Herbert joins Branden Grace, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, and Shane Lowry as players who have recorded a 62 in a men's major. Several other Australian golfers are set to play the weekend, including major debutant Cameron John, who is at three under. Adam Scott revived his challenge with a 66 to sit at two under, and Min Woo Lee made the cut at one over.
Former champion Cameron Smith missed the cut by one shot, finishing at two over.
