Lucas Herbert flirted with major championship golf history, missing a par putt to settle for a 62 in the second round of the Open Championship on July 17 in Southport, England.
Then about 15 minutes later, Sam Burns holed out from out of the bunker for his eighth birdie of the day, tying the record with a 62 of his own.
A 62 is the lowest score for an 18-hole round in major championship play, which includes the Open Championship, the Masters, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. The lowest score in a PGA Tour event round is 58, done by Jim Furyk.
At 9-under par, Herbert teed off with a driver on the par-4 18th and hooked it way right, nearly bumping up against a fence along the fairway.
Herbert’s second shot came out of the rough clean and landed about 10 feet short of the green. The 18th hole was in the front half of the green and is protected by a dip.
With the putter, Herbert rolled the ball about 6 feet way from the hole. But he seemed to pull the par putt, having to settle for his only bogey on the day.
Sam Burns flirts with history, too
The group playing behind Herbert included Sam Burns, who made seven birdies (five on the back nine) and no bogeys when he reached 18. With a birdie, he would tie Herbert for his round on the day, but Burns’ second shot, from the fairway, landed in the greenside pot bunker.
But the bunker proved no match for Burns, who flipped the ball to the rough and let it roll about 20 feet for the birdie and to tie the record.
This round almost didn’t happen for Burns. The 29-year-old nearly withdrew from this year’s Open Championship with his wife expecting to give birth to the couple’s second child. But Belle was born on July 3, clearing the way for Dad to make his trip across the Atlantic.
After the opening-round 73, it was looking like Burns was headed home early. But he birdied two of his first four holes in Round 2 and was out in 32.
Then, Burns birdied both the 10th and the 11th. But the finishing kick of birdies on 16, 17 and 18 clinched his spot in history.
How Lucas Herbert did it
Herbert had a chance to get to 10-under par for the round after recovering from a wayward second shot on the par-5 17th. But his third shot, from a tamped-down section of the gallery, was a very good chip shot to within 8 feet of the hole. However, Herbert missed his birdie putt to the left.
Herbert opened his second round with three straight birdies and was at 28 (six birdies, no bogeys) after nine holes. He birdied both 11 and 12 to make the record-setting score a possibility.
Major championship golf scoring record
Five players in major championship history have shot 62, all within the last 10 years.
Branden Grace did so in the third round of the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Both Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shot 62s in the first round of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. Schauffele did it again in the first round of the 2024 PGA Championship in Valhalla, and Shane Lowry equaled the feat in the third round of the same tournament.
Who is Lucas Herbert?
Herbert, 30, is from Peregian Beach, Queensland, Australia, and has seven professional golf wins on his resume. He was once both a member of the European Tour and PGA Tour, where he won the 2021 Bermuda Championship.
He has been playing on the LIV Golf Tour since 2024, where he won back in May.
Herbert’s best finish in a major was a tie for 13th in the 2022 PGA Championship. He had not made a cut in a major since the 2024 PGA, playing in only the U.S. Open this year before this week.
Who is Sam Burns?
Burns, 29, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and played college golf at LSU. He’s been on the PGA Tour since 2018 and has five wins on the tour, but not one since the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
He has played well in majors this season, finishing second to Wyndham Clark at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. He also finished tied for seventh at this year’s Masters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lucas Herbert, Sam Burns tie record with 62 at 2026 Open Championship
Reporting by Kirkland Crawford, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kirkland Crawford, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
