2026 Open scores: Lucas Herbert ties major record with 62 in Round 2 at Royal Birkdale

For a second straight Open at Royal Birkdale, a major championship scoring record became a major storyline. Nine years after Branden Grace became the first player in major championship history to shoot 62, Lucas Herbert became the latest on Friday in Round 2. The Australian was brilliant in tying the lowest round in major championship history with his 8-under 62. And it could have been more.

Herbert was 9 under for his round through 17 holes before a bogey on the last dropped him back to the 62 number. He faced 5 feet for a slice of history on his own on No. 18, but it was not meant to be as his par putt went begging by.

Herbert’s 62 ties the previous major championship scoring record held by Grace, Shane Lowry, Xander Schauffele (2x) and Rickie Fowler. Only those scores by Schauffele and Lowry did not occur on a par 70 as their 62s came at Valhalla Golf Club (par 71) in the 2024 PGA Championship.

Herbert not only shares the lowest round relative to score in major championship history, but he also shares the lowest nine hole score in major championship history. The 30-year-old turned in 6 under, which at Royal Birkdale put his nine-hole tally at 28. This mark tied him with Denis Durnian who also shot that number in the second round in 1983 at Royal Birkdale (previously a par 35). Brad Faxon also carded a 28 on the front nine at Riviera in the 1995 PGA Championship.

Lowest rounds in major championship history

Herbert started his day just barely inside the top 40 at even par. He moved 38 spots up the leaderboard with his record performance and to the top spot on the leaderboard at 8 under, commanding the solo lead by the time he walked off the 18th green.

From the jump, Herbert was locked in on the greens, rolling in birdie bids from 17 feet, 15 feet and 5 feet across his first three holes. After a tap-in birdie on the short par-4 5th, Herbert summoned the magic with the wand once again two holes later with a birdie effort from just inside 40 feet finding the bottom of the cup. When he connected from off the surface on the par-4 9th, Herbert confirmed his place in the history books by tying the lowest nine hole score in a major championship.

He was not finished, however. Herbert made birdie putts from 10 feet and 14 feet on Nos. 11-12 to reach 8 under on his round. While the next three holes read three straight pars on his scorecard, this stretch was of the utmost importance as he scrambled successfully on both the par-5 14th and par-3 15th to maintain his pace.

A birdie on the par-4 16th put Herbert’s score at 9 under with a par 5 still out in front of him. He blistered a drive 373 yards on the par-5 17th and left himself with just a 7 iron with his second, which he pulled woefully left about 50 yards of the green. Herbert did well to give him a 10-foot look for birdie, but it was not meant to be.

Work was still left to be done from there as No. 18 played as the most difficult hole in the morning wave at north of 0.50 strokes over par. Herbert’s drive banana’d to the right but was caught up in the barriers separating players and fans, giving him a chance to take relief. Leaving his second short, he then putted up the throat of the green and gave himself 5 feet for his par.

Herbert was unable to convert and command the lowest round in major championship history by himself, but the day was nevertheless a historic one and one which put him in prime position heading into the weekend at the 154th Open.