Lucas Herbert straight up tied a major championship single-round scoring record on Friday, dropping a mind-blowing 62 and snagging a two-shot lead heading into the British Open weekend in Southport, England. Herbert now sits at 8-under-par 132, an absolutely incredible run. But that wasn’t even the wildest part of the day. The real gut punch came later when Bryson DeChambeau got slammed with a two-stroke penalty *after* his round, completely shaking up the top of the leaderboard and giving Herbert even more breathing room.
Herbert’s Historic Run and What Could Have Been
Talk about a round! Herbert’s 62 was pure magic, a performance that cemented his name in major championship history. He even admitted thinking about the record as early as the third hole, saying, “I’m a golf nerd anyway, so I know all the numbers, all the records, everything like that.” You love that confidence! He almost made more history, too, needing a par on No. 18 for a 61 or birdie for an unprecedented 60, but his 5-foot par save missed centimeters left. Still, a 62 is unreal! And get this, Sam Burns then dropped *another* 62, the seventh ever at a major, rocketing to 5 under with a nasty birdie-birdie-birdie finish. Burns holed out from a greenside bunker on No. 18, capping a back-nine with six birdies. Nine years ago, Branden Grace shot the first 62 at a major at Royal Birkdale, and now we’ve seen two in one day. Wild stuff!
The DeChambeau Penalty Shocker and the Weekend Challengers
Okay, so back to the absolute bombshell of the day. DeChambeau, who was set to play with Herbert in the final pairing and just one shot off the lead, had his score changed more than an hour after he finished. R&A rules officials determined he “improved his lie in the rough at No. 5 by stamping down on tall grass.” That’s a triple-bogey 7 on the hole and a 68 for the day, knocking him from 7 under to 5 under. What a gut punch! Instead of a two-time major champion breathing down his neck, Herbert now has a two-shot lead over Cameron Young (67), Ryan Gerard (67), first-round leader Jackson Suber (69), Sam Burns (62), and Si Woo Kim (67), all tied at 5 under. Don’t sleep on the group at 4 under either: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (68) is there, along with local favorite Tommy Fleetwood (67) and Spanish star Jon Rahm (67). Rahm even got an official code of conduct warning for chucking a club on the 15th hole, which could mean another two-stroke penalty if he blows up again. This leaderboard is absolutely stacked.
So, what does this all mean for the weekend? Herbert has the lead, but this British Open is far from over. With a pack of hungry contenders breathing down his neck, including a fired-up Sam Burns and the ever-dangerous Scheffler and Rahm, Saturday and Sunday are going to be absolutely electric. Can Herbert hold it together and make history, or will someone from the chasing pack pull off a dramatic comeback? Get ready, because the British Open just got a whole lot spicier!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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