'Golf nerd' Lucas Herbert sees record-equalling 62 in major emulated by Sam Burns at Birkdale
Australian had sights on low one after just three holes at Birkdale as American ‘caught myself by surprise’
They came around half an hour apart and will look exactly the same in black and white in the record books. But, boy, did the 62s shot by both Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns on a low-scoring day in the second round of the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale leave different tastes in the mouth.
Herbert’s record-equalling feat, which came at a happy hunting ground for Australian golfers - Peter Thomson won twice here and Ian Baker Finch as well - was tinged with disappointment. Agonisingly, he missed a six-foot par putt at the 18th to become a history-maker on his own after feeling something special could be on the cards as early as the third hole. “I’m a golf nerd, so I know all the numbers, all the records, everything like that,” he admitted, smiling, in the Media Centre afterwards.
In contrast, Burns produced his matching eight-under-par salvo out of the blue just two games later, finishing with three straight birdies, including a hole out from a bunker at the last, to steal some of Herbert’s thunder on the Lancashire coast after the Antipodean’s effort had earned him the halfway lead on eight under.
The duo took the number of 62s recorded in men’s majors to seven. South African Branden Grace had been the only player to previously sign for that score in the Claret Jug event, having done so at the same venue in 2017 and being the first to do so.
Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler then posted matching 62s in the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club before Schauffele achieved the feat again the following year in the PGA Championship at Valhalla, where he was matched on that occasion by Shane Lowry.
Herbert, a three-time DP World Tour winner who plays for Rippers GC on the LIV Golf League these days, putted the lights out as he started with three straight birdies then added gains at the fifth, seventh and ninth to reach the turn in 28. That earned him a place in the record books at that point as he joined Denis Durnian, who did the trick over the same stretch in 1983, in being the only player to achieve that particular feat in The Open.
As the crowds following his group grew and grew and a buzz went up around the course, the 30-year-old kept his foot to the pedal after turning for him, picking up further birdies at 11th and 12th. With two par-5s to come over the closing stretch, it even looked as though he might go on and sign for a magical 59.
That wasn’t to be and, unfortunately, he also missed out on a golden opportunity to beat all those other 62s. Having picked up his ninth birdie of the day at the 16th before having to settle for a par at the 17th, a par at the last would have got the job done only for a wayward drive to leave him out of position before then missing a par putt that he’d probably have holed 99 times out of 100.
Herbert admitted that he felt “super disappointed” but, at the same time, said it was a “pretty cool list” to now be part of and also spoke about how he felt “proud” to have given himself an opportunity to become the first player to post 61 in the game’s marquee events.
From start to finish, his visit to the Media Centre was every bit as polished as his performance out on the course, giving a great answer, for example, to being asked about how he’d spoken in the past about trying to inspire youngsters in his native Victoria.
“Obviously I had a lot of thoughts running through my head today, and one of them at one point is one of my earliest golf memories was my dad waking me up to watch Chad Campbell in the first round in the 2009 Masters because it looked like he had a really good chance to shoot 62 and break the record at that time,” he recalled.
“I sort of, I thought about it, if one kid gets woken up by their parents to watch me finish this round because that's the record being broken, that would be so cool, and it would tickle me pink. I hope it happened. I hope some kid's disappointed that I shot 62 and didn't hole that putt on the last.”
He also answered a question from this correspondent very well about how people often talk about how the most difficult thing in golf is shooting a low number and then trying to back it up the following day.
“I shot 64 to kick off the LIV Virginia event about two months ago and then backed it up with 63,” declared Herbert, who has Nick Pugh, a Birkenhead man on his bag and using a rangefinder as a monocular with the permission of The R&A. “I've got that to draw off, but, you're absolutely right, it's very hard. I think everyone's expectations go through the roof as soon as you shoot a round like that.
“Just got to try and keep it real tomorrow. A great score out there is two or three under. There's seven people that have shot 62 in the history of major championships. I'm probably a little optimistic if I think I'm going to keep adding my name to that list every day.”
Burns, who finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler in last month’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills, secured his place in the record books with a bogey-free card. “I caught myself by surprise,” he admitted, having finished with three bogeys in his opening round but getting his revenge with a late second-day salvo.
Unlike Herbert, he was in the dark about what singing for a 62 - it left him on six under at the halfway stage - meant. “I had no idea until they told me - I didn't realise that was the case. Yeah, I'm very pleased with it,” he admitted, having initially had no intention of being here after his second child - girl Belle - was born early last week but being encouraged to make the trip by his wife, Caroline.
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