Herbert narrowly misses record round as he seizes Open lead
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SOUTHPORT, July 17 : Australia’s Lucas Herbert fell agonisingly short of the lowest round in men’s major history with a stunning eight-under-par 62 firing him to the top of the British Open leaderboard on Friday.
The 30-year-old, who began the day on level par, had a par putt of around five feet on Royal Birkdale’s 18th green to make history, but it slid past for his only bogey of the day.
Despite an incredible round of golf he looked dejected as he shook hands with his playing partners, having equalled the men’s major record low round achieved on several occasions, including by Branden Grace at the 2017 Open also at Royal Birkdale.
Minutes after Herbert signed for his 62, American Sam Burns matched him with a chip-in birdie from a bunker on the 18th.
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“It was a lot of fun, those first 12 holes I don’t think I’ve ever played golf that well before,” Herbert said.
“It was cool to experience that and the nerves coming down the stretch, there was a great buzz out there and it felt like everyone wanted it to happen. I felt like I kind of let everyone down a bit missing that putt on the last.”
Herbert led on eight under with Americans Jackson Suber and Cameron Young on six under and Burns a further stroke adrift.
With benign conditions on the sun-baked course, Herbert unleashed a breathtaking blitz of birdies.
He rolled in six as he reached the turn in 28 shots – equalling the nine-hole Open record of Denis Durnian at Birkdale in 1983. His assault continued on the back nine with birdies at the 11th, 12th and 16th and when he set up a birdie putt on the 17th with a stunning chip even a sub-60 round looked possible.
Herbert missed that but a par on the long par-four 18th would have done the job. After a wayward drive he left himself with a relatively straightforward up-and-down from in front of the green, but he faltered at the last.
The other 62s in men’s major rounds were by Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele at the 2023 U.S. Open and by Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry at the 2024 PGA Championship.
Herbert, who missed the cut on three of his last four Open appearances, leads by two shots from overnight leader Jackson Suber who followed his opening 65 with a solid one-under 69.
With all eyes on Herbert, Burns was very much under the radar but a huge roar rang around the course when his chip from the bunker at 18 disappeared into the hole.
Leading the home charge was England’s Matt Wallace who was four shots behind Herbert after a three-under 67.
With sea breezes picking up, scoring was expected to toughen up for the later groups which included world number one and defending champion Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler, bidding to become the first man since Ireland’s Padraig Harrington in 2008 to retain the Claret Jug, carded a two-under 68 on Thursday.
The cut line is expected to be even par.
Source: Reuters
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