Five feet and three inches sat between Lucas Herbert and the making of history. Another distance was far, far more relevant; that between the Australian golfer’s ears. Thousands have tried to produce a 61 in the long, celebrated history of men’s major championships. There is a reason no one has succeeded. Including, at 12 minutes past two on Friday afternoon, Herbert. No wonder his instant reaction was to slump with hands over his knees.
“I would back Lucas 100 times out of 100 to hole those,” said Herbert’s caddie, Nick Pugh. “He’s one of the best putters, if not the best putter in the world. He knocks them in with aplomb all day long. But when your heart is racing and you know what’s on the line, there’s probably just that little distraction.
