SOUTHPORT, England — The contrast couldn’t have been larger on Friday at the Open Championship. Lucas Herbert walked off Royal Birkdale a touch disappointed with the 62 he had just posted in the second round after making bogey on the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale. Two groups later, Sam Burns was elated after holing a bunker shot on the 18th for birdie (his third straight) and a 62 of his own.
The consolation for Herbert: He has a two-shot lead after 36 holes at the Open Championship, with Burns three shots off the lead.
Herbert, the 30-year-old Aussie, had made nine birdies through 17 holes, but a wayward drive left him scrambling on the 508-yard, par-4 home hole. After hitting his tee shot went right and landed near a metal spectator fence Herbert could only hit his approach shot from the rough just shy of the green. A chip to five feet set up a chance to save par saving and post a 61, but then this happened.
THAT close to 61 😳
Lucas Herbert still ties the lowest round in men's major history with an incredible 62 (-8) at The Open 👏🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/MUlXE7OalS
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026
As for Burns, who shot a three-over 73 on Thursday, he made two birdies on the front nine, then got rolling on the back with birdies on the 10th, 11th and 13th holes. Two more birdies on the 16th and 17th had him rapidly climbing the leaderboard, only to see his approach shot on the 18th find a greenside bunker. But he wasn’t going to let that get him down:
Out of the sand and into the record books.
Sam Burns also cards an impressive 62 at Royal Birkdale. pic.twitter.com/CtpUsfQfzN
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2026
The sequence was reminiscent of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, when Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shot matching 62s within a half hour of each other in the first round.
Here’s the group that Herbert and Burns now shares company with:
62—Brendan Grace, 2017 Open Championship, third round (Birkdale)
62—Rickie Fowler, 2023 U.S. Open, first round (LACC)
62—Xander Schauffele, 2023 U.S. Open, first round (LACC)
62—Xander Schauffele, 2024 PGA, first round (Valhalla)
62—Shane Lowry, 2023 PGA, third round (Valhalla)
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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
