Updated July 18, 2026 — 6:01am,first published 9:00pmSouthport: A day after demolishing a steak and a cheeseburger as fuel for his second round at the British Open, Australia’s Lucas Herbert opened with three straight birdies at Royal Birkdale and, at that moment, began believing he could do what no male golfer had achieved in 166 years of major championship golf.A round of 61. Golf’s holy grail at a major.Australian golfer Lucas Herbert shot a record-equalling 62 on Friday at the British Open. Getty ImagesBut thinking it was possible with 15 holes remaining on a testing English links course? It was audacity and optimism akin to that of snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2010 when, after potting just two balls, he asked the referee what the prize money was for a maximum break of 147. History shows O’Sullivan pocketed both the cash and one of sport’s rarest feats 34 shots later.But on the final hole of his magnificent round on Friday, which had featured a remarkable eight birdies through his opening 12 holes and nine through 17, all that stood between Herbert and history was a 120-centimetre par putt he would expect to hole 100 times out of 100.As marshals raised their “Quiet” signs in front of a swelling gallery spilling in from neighbouring fairways, Herbert tugged the putt left before tapping in for a record-equalling 62, eight under par, to seize the clubhouse lead heading into the weekend, ahead of Bryson DeChambeau at seven-under.The Victorian slumped over his putter on the 18th green – “I was processing the moment” – as audible groans from the gallery gave way to applause for one of the finest rounds in major championship history, leaving him firmly in contention to become the first Australian since LIV Golf teammate Cam Smith in 2022 to lift the Claret Jug.By contrast, fellow Australian Min Woo Lee (one-over) made a seven-metre putt on the 18th later in the day to make the cut by one stroke.“It was not lost on me the amount of history in major championships and the opportunity I had to obviously break the record,” Herbert said after his round.“I’m absolutely disappointed and at the same time, so proud of today. Very, very proud to put my name on that list of guys that have shot 62 in a major championship.“I might not play 12 better holes in my life.”Lucas Herbert of Australia reacts after missing a par putt on the 18th green. AP Photo/Jon SuperAs Herbert holed putts like a wizard and attacked pins without fear – he was six-under through the opening nine holes – his mind drifted back to 2009.A 13-year-old growing up in Bendigo, Herbert had been woken by his father, Lyndon, to watch the US Masters after American Chad Campbell threatened to become the first man to shoot 62 in a major championship.Campbell ultimately signed for a 65, but in the years since Branden Grace (2017), Rickie Fowler (2023), Xander Schauffele (2023 and 2024) and Shane Lowry (2024) have all carded 62s.The previous lowest round by an Australian male at a major was 63, achieved by Bruce Crampton at the 1975 PGA Championship, Greg Norman at the 1986 Open Championship and 1996 Masters, and Jason Day at the 2015 PGA Championship. However, Norman’s 63 at Augusta was nine-under, compared with Herbert’s eight-under 62 at Royal Birkdale.Heartbreak: Greg Norman’s Masters misfortune is etched into folklore.AP“If one kid got woken up by their parents to watch me finish this round … that would be so cool, and it would tickle me pink,” Herbert said.“I hope some kid is disappointed that I shot 62 and didn’t hole that putt on the last. It felt like a little bit of a full-circle moment there, and I love going back to Australia and seeing how many kids are out there playing golf.“It makes you really proud to be an Australian.”Herbert’s golden chance to sign for a 61 would have stung a little when American Sam Burns chipped in from a greenside bunker at the last to also shoot 62 and join golf’s exclusive club. Two in one day was quite the story.“The putt on the last, I thought it was left side of the hole,” Herbert said. “I thought the wind was off the left a little as well, which might push it. It just kind of jagged a little left early on me early and never came back.Lucas Herbert of Australia plays from the rough to the 18th green. AP Photo/Jon Super“I can sleep easy tonight knowing I didn’t hit a bad putt. I just misread it. It’s pretty tough when you’ve got to putt for the major championship record to get everything to work and to get everything to sync perfectly.”After beginning the day at even par, five shots off the lead, Herbert ignited his charge with an 11-metre double-breaking birdie putt on the par-three 7th.He hit every green in regulation until the ninth, where he holed a putt from off the green to complete a front-nine 28, equalling Denis Durnian’s British Open record in 1983 at Royal Birkdale.A birdie at the 16th – courtesy of what Herbert described as his best shot (and putt) of the day – moved him to nine-under with two holes remaining. Two pars from there would have delivered a historic 61.Before the tournament, Herbert had contemplated leaving the driver in the bag because of the firm-running fairways. But with history beckoning, he refused to play conservatively on the par-five 17th.Journalists watching inside the rope were asked to crouch down as his tee shot screamed overhead before bounding down the fairway.Lucas Herbert backs himself with a driver on the par-five 17th at Royal Birkdale. KayoHis approach leaked well left into the spectators, leaving him with an awkward lie. Herbert responded with a brilliant chip from a blind position to give himself an outside birdie chance, but the putt slid agonisingly past.“I was very happy with how that came out for sure,” Herbert said.One spectator turned to a friend and declared: “This is history in the making,” as Herbert made the walk to the 18th tee with anticipation rising.Lucas Herbert of Australia with his caddie Nick Pugh, look at the 13th hole from the tee during the second day of the British Open. AP Photo/Jon SuperHis caddie, Nick ‘Pughy’ Pugh – who also served as the celebrant at Herbert’s wedding to wife Erika last year – did his best to keep the world No.97’s mind off the significance of the moment.Some golf writers had questioned whether Pugh had used an illegal range finder, but officials confirmed no rule had been broken because it did not have a battery in it.Herbert drove into trouble on the last and earned a free drop after his ball came to rest beneath a steel fence. His approach finished short of the green before he rolled his third shot to just over a metre.Then came the putt that denied him golfing immortality.Not that the Victorian would care, given he has made the cut only twice in five previous Open Championship appearances since 2018, with a best finish of tied 15th in 2022, when fellow Smith lifted the Claret Jug.For all the magic of Friday at Royal Birkdale, Herbert knows the job is only half done. He pointed to successive rounds of 64 and 63 at a LIV Golf event in Virginia earlier this year as evidence he can back up another low score.A scoreboard operator changes the number on Lucas Herbert of Australia’s score after he birdied the 12th hole. AP Photo/Jon SuperMajors, however, have a habit of exposing even the game’s greatest players. Greg Norman’s infamous collapse from a six-shot final-round lead at the 1996 Masters remains one of golf’s enduring cautionary tales.And of the five previous occasions a player had shot 62 in a men’s major before this week, only Xander Schauffele went on to win the British Open in 2024.“I think the next 48 hours are definitely going to be stressful,” Herbert said.“I’ll go get some lunch, do some gym, go home and chill out with my family. I think by the time we wake up tomorrow morning, my focus will be back on the right stuff.”News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.Tom Decent is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners