Australia’s Lucas Herbert came heartbreakingly close to golf history at the British Open on Friday, missing a five-foot putt on the 18th hole that would have made him the first golfer ever to shoot a 61 in a men’s major. Instead, he settled for a 62 and a two-shot lead heading into the weekend at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England.
The remarkable day was further overshadowed when American Bryson DeChambeau, who had been charging up the leaderboard, was slapped with a two-stroke penalty for a rules violation that knocked him out of contention for the lead.
Herbert, 30, sits atop the leaderboard at eight under par. DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open champion, finished what appeared to be an impressive round of 66 before officials ruled he had inadvertently improved the area of his intended swing by treading down long grass after his tee shot found deep rough at the fifth hole.
DeChambeau was seen in a heated exchange with rules officials after his round, riding a golf cart back to the spot where the incident occurred. After the ruling was handed down, he walked out of the scorer’s cabin and headed straight to the driving range, taking his frustration out on the ball. He declined to speak with reporters, only pausing to ask, “Are you guys having a great night?”
The penalty dropped DeChambeau to five under, placing him alongside first-round leader Jackson Suber, Cameron Young, and Ryan Gerard — all at six under — as the nearest challengers to Herbert. Sam Burns, South Korean Kim Si-woo, and DeChambeau himself were all one further back at five under.
Earlier in the day, two rounds of 62 were completed within roughly half an hour of each other — a stunning development on a sun-baked course playing with light winds. Herbert reached the turn in just 28 shots, equaling the nine-hole Open Championship record set by Denis Durnian at Birkdale in 1983. He rolled in six birdies on the front nine, then added more at the 11th, 12th, and 16th holes. A stunning chip on the 17th had even a sub-60 round briefly in the realm of possibility.
He missed that birdie opportunity but still had a chance for history with a par on the 18th. After a wayward drive, he left himself a manageable up-and-down from in front of the green, but missed the five-foot putt — his only blemish of the day — and the historic round slipped away.
“It was a lot of fun, those first 12 holes I don’t think I’ve ever played golf that well before,” said Herbert, who competes on the LIV Golf circuit. “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’s 62 matched rounds previously shot by Branden Grace at the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale, Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele at the 2023 U.S. Open, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry at the 2024 PGA Championship.
Burns’ matching 62 came via a completely different path, highlighted by birdies on each of the final three holes — capped by a dramatic chip-in from a bunker on the 18th that drew a massive roar from the crowd.
Local crowd favorite Tommy Fleetwood, who grew up sneaking onto Royal Birkdale as a child, drew an even louder roar when he nearly holed his approach shot on the 18th. His round of 67 left him at four under, four shots off the lead, still very much in contention for a first major title.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who was attempting to become the first player since Ireland’s Padraig Harrington in 2008 to successfully defend the Claret Jug, posted a second consecutive 68 and sits in a nine-player pack at four under. That group also includes 2018 champion Francesco Molinari and Spain’s Jon Rahm, who received a warning after throwing his clubs following a poor tee shot at the 15th.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, ranked second in the world and chasing his second Open title, shot a three-under 67 to make the cut but finds himself seven shots behind the leader. “You look at the board and you see a couple of 62s, and you feel like you could have done a bit better,” McIlroy said.
Among those missing the cut were 2017 Royal Birkdale champion Jordan Spieth, who made a nine on the 17th hole, 2023 Open winner Brian Harman, and two-time U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark. England’s world number three Matt Fitzpatrick also missed out, though his younger brother Alex advanced, along with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and England’s Matt Wallace, both at four under.
