Australian golfer Lucas Herbert will take a two-shot lead into the weekend at the British Open after producing one of the greatest rounds in major championship history.
The 30-year-old Victorian fired an eight-under 62 at Royal Birkdale on Friday, equalling the lowest round recorded in a men’s major.
Herbert came within one putt of becoming the first man to shoot 61 in a major, only to miss from five feet for par on the final green.
His closing bogey could not take the shine off a remarkable round that moved him to eight under for the championship.
Herbert thought his advantage would be only one shot after Bryson DeChambeau carded a four-under 66 to reach seven under.
The American was later handed a two-shot penalty after rules officials determined he had improved the path of his swing while standing in long grass beside the fifth fairway.
Lucas Herbert fired a record-equalling 62 to take a two-shot lead at the British Open
Herbert narrowly missed a five-foot putt that would have delivered the first 61 in major history
The ruling dropped DeChambeau to five under and gave Herbert a two-stroke lead over Jackson Suber, Cameron Young and Ryan Gerard, who are tied for second at six under.
Herbert admitted he was disappointed to miss the chance to claim the scoring record but quickly turned his attention to challenging for the Claret Jug.
‘It’s two worlds apart, to have dreams and then to have even a glimpse of them coming to reality. I have dreams of winning the Open Championship for sure — and I’m in a great position to do that,’ Herbert said.
‘I would love to tick off more than shooting 62 and, yeah, I’ve got a great opportunity; I’m looking forward to getting after it on the weekend.’
Herbert made a stunning start with birdies on each of his first three holes.
He added three more before the turn, including a 36-foot putt at the seventh and a 25-foot effort from the fringe at the ninth.
His outward nine of 28 equalled the Open record established by England’s Denis Durnian at the same course in 1983.
Further birdies at the 11th, 12th and 16th briefly left Herbert needing two more over the closing holes to shoot the first 59 in major history.
The Victorian made nine birdies during a remarkable second round on the Royal Birkdale links
Former Open champion Cameron Smith missed the weekend after finishing his opening two rounds at two over
A wayward drive led to a bogey at the 18th, where he also missed the putt that would have secured an unprecedented 61.
‘I can at least sleep easy tonight knowing I didn’t hit a bad putt, I just misread it,’ Herbert said.
‘But I felt like I’d kind of let everyone down a little bit there on the last miss because it just felt like everyone wanted to be a part of watching that bit of history.
‘Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Those first 12 holes, I don’t know if I’ve played golf that well before, so it was very, very cool to experience that.’
American Sam Burns matched Herbert’s 62 later in the day after chipping in at the final hole. Burns sits three shots from the lead alongside DeChambeau and Si Woo Kim.
Herbert became the sixth player to record a 62 in a men’s major. Branden Grace first set the mark at Royal Birkdale in 2017 before Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry joined the list.
Several of Herbert’s countrymen will also feature during the weekend.
Major debutant Cameron John shot a three-under 67 to reach three under overall, leaving the 27-year-old five shots behind the leader.
The world No.256 qualified for his first Open by finishing runner-up at the Singapore Open in April and has now completed two impressive rounds on one of golf’s biggest stages.
‘I was daring to dream two months ago when I qualified. I think it’s important to have dreams. We all have them. We all want to do our best,’ John said.
‘And however it goes on the weekend, I’m still going to look back on this week, and it will be something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.’
Adam Scott also revived his challenge with a four-under 66, moving to two under in his 101st consecutive major appearance.
Asked if he remained within striking distance, Scott replied: ‘Yeah, absolutely. The forecast generally seems good. Maybe get out there, and with a hot nine holes somewhere over the weekend, get in the mix.’
Min Woo Lee survived the cut after sinking a curling 22-foot birdie putt on the 18th to finish at one over.
Former champion Cameron Smith missed the weekend by one shot at two over, while Travis Smyth finished at three over and Jason Day at four over.
