Lucas Herbert surged to the lead at the British Open on Friday, posting a second-round 8-under-par 62 at Royal Birkdale. The Australian LIV Golf player held a share of the lowest round in major championship history but fell short of an outright record after finishing with a bogey on the 18th hole.
Herbert, who shot an even-par 70 in the opening round, carded a remarkable 28 on the front nine, which included birdies on four of the first five holes. He continued his strong play on the back nine with birdies on holes 11, 12, and 16, reaching 9-under-par as he approached the final two holes.
On the par-5 17th, Herbert found the fairway but pulled his approach shot left of the green. After a skillful chip, he missed a 10-foot birdie putt, settling for par. The missed opportunity proved costly as he then bogeyed the 18th, a challenging par-4, after finding trouble off the tee and leaving his approach shot short of the green. His first putt for par was left four feet short, and he missed the subsequent attempt.
Despite the closing mistakes, Herbert's 62 ties the major championship record, previously set by Branden Grace at the 2017 British Open, and by Rickie Fowler, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Shane Lowry in more recent majors. Herbert now leads the tournament by two shots over American Jackson Suber.
This marks Herbert's 18th major championship appearance. His previous best finish in a major was a tie for 13th at the 2022 PGA Championship. He qualified for this British Open by finishing runner-up at the New Zealand Open. His best previous performance at the British Open was a tie for 15th in 2022.
Herbert joined LIV Golf in 2024 and plays for Ripper GC. He is currently fifth in the LIV Golf points standings, with one win and five top-10 finishes in nine events this season.
His teammate Cam Smith praised Herbert's hard work and continuous improvement. "He was already good when he came and joined the Rippers a couple years ago, and you’ve seen him go from strength to strength," Smith said. "I think he’s learned everything he needs to learn, and he’s taking advantage of it and playing really good golf. And he’s so confident at the moment. Like once he gets going, like (Friday) I’m sure he’s just hitting it in there to three and four feet on every hole and making putts. Like once he gets his irons going, it’s pretty cool to watch."