Lucas Herbert ties Open Championship scoring record with 62
Lucas Herbert, a 30-year-old Australian, has tied The Open Championship record with a round of 62 on Friday at Royal Birkdale.
While the score ties Branden Grace for the lowest-ever round at The Open, he had a chance for more, missing a 7-foot par putt on the 18th hole for his only bogey of the day.
He actually had a chance to break 60, but missed a birdie putt on the par-5 17th. His tee shot on the par-4 18th then blew right onto the spectator pathway, before rolling underneath the railing separating the course from fans.
Herbert was entitled to relief, hit his second just short of the green, then got to a makeable putt range for par. It missed just to the left, and Herbert put his hands on his knees and bent his head in frustration.
Grace shot a 62 at The Open in 2017, also at Royal Birkdale. The course plays as a par-70 for The Open.
Herbert, ranked No. 109 in the world on DataGolf.com entering the week, has a spotty major championship record before Royal Birkdale. His best previous finish is a tie for 13th place at the 2022 Open Championship, and he has missed four of the last five cuts in majors. He did not qualify for the Masters or PGA Championship this year.
He did win LIV Golf’s Virginia event in May, but has not played professionally since missing the cut at last month’s U.S. Open.
After firing a first-round 70, Herbert started his second round hot with birdies on his first three holes, making 36 feet of putts just in that stretch. He kept it up, with a 36-foot birdie putt on the par-3 7th and another birdie on the ninth to complete a front-nine 28, the lowest nine-hole score at The Open since Denis Durnian in 1983.
Three more birdies on holes Nos. 11, 12 and 16 got him to 9-under-par on the round and suddenly chasing history.
Greg Norman and Nick Price each shot a 63 at the Masters, which is a par 72. Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry both shot a 62 at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Schauffele and Rickie Fowler each shot a 62 at the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.