Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns both made history by tying the all-time lowest round at major championships on Friday.
World no.97 Herbert’s heroics at The Open came after he clocked up the joint-lowest nine-hole score in the tournament’s history.
But there was an agonising end to his afternoon as he bogeyed the last, when par would have handed him the outright record.
Having failed to birdie the routine par-five 17th, Herbert had a short putt for par at the 18th and missed it.
The Australian looked on course for the all-time record as he went out in 28.
Before today, only Denis Durnian had achieved that feat, which also occurred at Royal Birkdale at the 1983 Open.
Lowest rounds in major history (all 62)
- Branden Grace – 2017 Open Championship, Third Round (Royal Birkdale)
- Rickie Fowler – 2023 U.S. Open, First Round (Los Angeles Country Club)
- Xander Schauffele – 2023 U.S. Open, First Round (Los Angeles Country Club)
- Xander Schauffele – 2024 PGA Championship, First Round (Valhalla Golf Club)
- Shane Lowry – 2024 PGA Championship, Third Round (Valhalla Golf Club)
- Lucas Herbert – 2026 Open Championship, Second Round (Royal Birkdale)
- Sam Burns – 2026 Open Championship, Second Round (Royal Birkdale)
Herbert’s six-under-par front-nine saw him surge into the lead at the final major of the year – which is live on talkSPORT 2.
The LIV Golf star birdied his first three holes before going on to add birdies at the fifth, seventh and ninth.
But his afternoon was tinged with disappointment as he only managed to shoot two-under on the back-nine.
Moments after his missed putt on the 18th, American golfer Burns joined him in the clubhouse with a record-equalling round of 62.
The Ryder Cup star holed out from a greenside bunker for birdie at the 18th.
Besides the all-time major record, it is also the joint-lowest round at any Open Championship, matching Branden Grace’s 62 in 2017, also at Royal Birkdale.
The scenes were reminiscent of the 2023 US Open, when both Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shot 62 in quick succession.
Find a way
Herbert has picked up wins on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour and won his first LIV Golf title in May.
However, he is yet to finish in the top 10 at a major championship and is unlikely to have a better chance at glory.
Herbert has missed the cut nine times, one of which came at last year’s Open at Royal Portrush.
Discussing his record earlier this week, the Aussie admitted he was eager to improve his record in golf’s biggest events.
“I haven’t seemed to figure it out yet,” he said. “I’ve played 16-17 majors now and I just haven’t really made anything happen yet,” he said.
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“I’ve said before, it’s the one area of my golfing career that’s probably been a let-down.
“Like I’ve won on every tour and I just feel like for someone with those results, you should have better results at the majors but I just haven’t had them.
“I keep trying to figure it out and it might not be this week – it might be next year or two years time, whatever.
“But I’m just trying to get better, trying different things, different approaches and taking different advice.
“I’ll just see what helps, see what works, see what doesn’t and just keep going, keep trying to figure it out.”
