Lucas Herbert leads the Open Championship halfway through the second round after tying the major championship record of 62 Friday at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.
The Australian needed par at No. 18 to shoot the first 61 in major championship history, but his 5-foot putt to save par missed centimeters to the left of the cup.
The round brought him from even to 8-under-par 132 for the championship, two clear of Cameron Young (67) and first-round leader Jackson Suber (69).
And Herbert’s round wasn’t even the only 62 of the morning wave. Two groups behind him, Sam Burns holed out for birdie from the greenside bunker at No. 18 to cap a three-birdie finish for a bogey-free 62.
Burns shot up to 5 under for the week. South Korea’s Sungjae Im was also 5 under for the championship through the front nine. Bud Cauley (68) and England’s Matt Wallace (67) were in the clubhouse at 4-under 136.
Herbert, 30, was asked when he believed he could equal or better the record of 62.
“It’s not a great question because I’m too much of an optimist, and I thought it when I hit it to about 5 feet on the third hole,” Herbert said. “I’m a golf nerd anyway, so I know all the numbers, all the records, everything like that.”
Branden Grace of South Africa shot the first round of 62 at a major nine years ago, the last time The Open was held at Royal Birkdale. The list has since grown to seven 62s, including Herbert’s and Burns’ on Friday.
Burns’ 62 was a mirror image of Herbert’s. Whereas the Australian tied the major nine-hole scoring record with a 28 on the front nine, Burns went out in 2 under and made six birdies coming in — including a chip-in at No. 16 before the bunker holeout at No. 18.
“Yeah, it was in a good spot in the bunker, which you never know what you’re going to get in the pot bunkers here. So I was happy when I saw that when I walked up,” Burns said. “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.”
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland improved on his opening 72 by five strokes, but left opportunities on the table with eight pars and one birdie on his back nine. His 67 lifted him to 1 under for the week.
Xander Schauffele rebounded from a bogey at No. 17 with a straightforward birdie at No. 18 to shoot 69 and head to the clubhouse on the current cut line at even par. The line is projected to move back by at least one shot. Schauffele’s run of 18 straight made cuts at major championships is the longest active streak.
Notables playing in the Friday afternoon wave include World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose, Spaniard Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, who briefly held a share of the lead Thursday before carding a 3-under 67.
