Lucas Herbert was 17 holes into a round that could have rewritten the record books. Nine birdies. Zero bogeys. A chance at the first 61 in men’s major championship history. Then the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale happened.
Herbert pushed his drive into the rough. Missed the fairway. Made the hardest hole on the course even harder. A poor third shot left him staring at a long par putt that grazed the edge and rolled past. He tapped in for bogey — his only one of the day — and signed for a 62.
It still ties the lowest round ever in a men’s major. But you could see it in his face walking off the green. That one stung.
How He Shot 62 at Birkdale
The LIV golfer was dominant everywhere on Friday. According to Data Golf, he gained more than eight total strokes on the field. But the putter was the real weapon — nearly four strokes gained on the greens alone. He made putts from everywhere. Mid-rangers. Long ones. The kind of roll that makes you think something special is happening.
Herbert’s strategy was clear from the start: avoid the bunkers at all costs. Through 36 holes, he used his driver only six times, per the NBC broadcast. When the wind calms down at Birkdale and you stay out of those pot bunkers, the course gives up low scores. He proved that.
There have now been six 62s in major history. The very first came at this same course, Royal Birkdale, when Branden Grace shot one in 2017 — the week Jordan Spieth won his third major. Xander Schauffele has done it twice. Rickie Fowler and Shane Lowry have done it once. Now Herbert joins that group. But he was one putt from being alone at the top.
What Comes Next for Herbert
The Open is far from over. Herbert is in contention heading into the weekend, and history says following up a 62 is brutal. The pressure on Saturday will be real. Can he back it up? That’s the question now.
For one round, though, he was as close as anyone has ever been to perfection. One tap-in away from the 61 that doesn’t exist yet.
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