Lowest ever: Aussie rockets into British Open lead with 62-shot stunner
Australia’s Lucas Herbert has shot the equal lowest round in the history of majors golf to take the outright lead at the half-way point of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
Even par after the opening round, Herbert catapulted up the leaderboard on day two after stringing together an 8-under round for the ages that included nine birdies.
The 30-year-old from Bendigo who has played on the LIV Golf tour since 2024 was on fire from the start as he birdied the opening three holes and finished the front nine at a staggering 6-under.
Mind you, his round could have been even better were it not for an agonising miss on the 18th green as his par putt slid narrowly past the hole. It was his only blemish for the day.
The miss means Herbert now shares the all-time majors record of 62 with Branden Grace, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffel, Shane Lowry and, remarkably, American Sam Burns who also shot 8-under on the same day as Herbert.
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Entering the weekend Herbert leads the field by two strokes and is dreaming of his best-ever majors finish, having previously managed 13th at the US PGA in 2022.
Two other Aussies are under par for the tournament — John Cameron (-3) and Adam Scott (-2).
Cameron Smith (+2), Travis Smyth (+3) and Jason Day (+4) all struggled in the afternoon conditions at Royal Birkdale and are unlikely to make the cut, while Min Woo Lee (+1) is likely to just scrape through.
Millimetres from men’s major history.
An incredible card of 62 from clubhouse leader Lucas Herbert. pic.twitter.com/IlREzoAMfD
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— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2026
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