On the 18th hole at the 2026 British Open at Royal Birkdale on Friday, Lucas Herbert’s golf ball sat five feet and three inches away from the cup. Make the putt, and Herbert would become the first player in the history of golf to shoot a 61 at a major.
He missed.
Herbert aimed the putt left of the hole and it never budged. It sailed past the cup, and Herbert, absolutely devastated, stared at the ground in disbelief. He tapped in for bogey in a scene that was assuredly the most dejected any golfer has looked in the history of major golf finishing a round with a 62.
THAT close to 61 😳
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026
Lucas Herbert still ties the lowest round in men's major history with an incredible 62 (-8) at The Open 👏🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/MUlXE7OalS
“I kind of thought it was a left-side putt,” Herbert said on the USA Network broadcast after his round. “I thought I hit a really good putt. It just jagged left on me a little early. It was nowhere near the worst shot of the day, nowhere near the worst putt of the day. I was pretty happy with it. The nerves were going, but I thought I handled it well. It just wasn’t meant to be.
“It was strange knocking that [final putt] in, knowing I tied the record but also feeling like that might be one of the best chances we’ve ever had to shoot 61 as well.”
Herbert became the sixth golfer in major history to shoot a 62 across 18 holes, and the second to do so at the British Open. About 30 minutes later, Sam Burns holed out from a bunker on 18 to notch the seventh 62 in major history.
There now have been three 62s in British Open history, two at the U.S. Open (both in 2023) and two at the PGA Championship (both in 2024). The best score at the Masters (which holds a par-72 at Augusta) remains 63, shot by Nick Price in 1986 and Greg Norman in ’96.
The best 18-hole scores ever recorded at a major
| SCORE | GOLFER | MAJOR | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | Branden Grace | 2017 British Open | T6 |
| 62 | Rickie Fowler | 2023 U.S. Open | T5 |
| 62 | Xander Schauffele | 2023 U.S. Open | T10 |
| 62 | Xander Schauffele | 2024 PGA Championship | Win |
| 62 | Shane Lowry | 2024 PGA Championship | T6 |
| 62 | Lucas Herbert | 2026 British Open | TBD |
| 62 | Sam Burns | 2026 British Open | TBD |
Of the seven players to shoot a 62, just one has exited the major with a win—Xander Schauffele, who opened the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club with a 62 and held on the rest of the weekend to beat Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke.
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How Lucas Herbert dominated Royal Birkdale on Friday
Entering the 17th hole, Herbert ending the day with a 62 seemed like a very conservative estimate. He was nine-under par through 16 and needed two birdies to break 60, which seemed very possible considering how well he played Friday and he birdied 17 on Thursday. Every time he was shown on screen late in his round, the USA Network broadcast tagged the shot with a “Herbert: 59 watch” graphic.
On 17, Herbert had a 10-foot putt for birdie but missed it left. He needed a par on 18 to shoot the first 61 in major history, but sent that putt wide left again.
“It’s kind of an odd feeling,” Herbert said of his round. “... I’m a golf geek as well so I knew the records, I knew what people shot. I was very aware of that. ... I might as well throw my phone in the bath the next three days because it’s going to be lit up this afternoon.”
Despite falling short of golf history on the final two holes, Herbert had a day to remember. He tallied six birdies on the front nine to make the turn with a score of 28, tying the British Open record for the lowest score on nine holes in its 154th edition.
Herbert was automatic with the putter all day, missing just two putts within 20 feet throughout the round. He hit 77.8% of greens in regulation. Through 36 holes, he ranks fourth in the field in strokes gained putting (+3.25) and fifth in strokes gained around the green (+2.33).
Herbert, who entered Friday tied for 39th place after shooting even par in the opening round, now sits at eight-under par and, at the time of publishing, currently holds a two-stroke lead heading into Saturday.
