The second round of the 2025 British Open at Royal Birkdale delivered one of the most dramatic days in major golf history Friday, as Australia’s Lucas Herbert and American Sam Burns both matched the all-time record for the lowest 18-hole score in men’s major championship golf, carding 8-under-par 62s that left the tournament leaderboard reshaped and packed with surprises.
Ranked 97th in the world and competing on the breakaway LIV Golf Tour, Herbert entered the day far from the list of pre-tournament favorites but exploded into contention with a historic round that nearly ended with an unprecedented achievement. The 30-year-old Australian got off to a blistering start, sinking birdies on his first three holes before adding three more birdies at 5, 7, and 9 to turn in a 28 on the front nine – a new British Open record for the opening nine holes.
Herbert carried his momentum through the back nine, picking up additional birdies at 12, 13, and 16 to reach 8-under par through 17 holes, putting him one stroke away from becoming the first player in major golf history to shoot a 61. But after a wayward tee shot on the par-4 18th, nerves got the better of the leader in front of thousands of packed spectators: two tentative putts left Herbert with a bogey, and he missed his short par attempt that would have secured his place in the history books as the sole record-holder. Herbert doubled over his putter in open disappointment after the slip, but said after the round he remained proud of his performance.
“It was not lost on me the amount of history in major championships and the opportunity I had to obviously break the record,” Herbert told reporters. “To tie it as well is still something I’m really proud of.”
Less than an hour after Herbert finished his round, Burns matched the historic score, taking the opposite path to 62 with a six-under-par 30 on the back nine. The world No. 18 sank a 20-foot birdie putt at 17 before chipping in from a greenside bunker at the final hole to secure his share of the record. The round catapults Burns to five-under-par for the tournament, putting him firmly in contention heading into the weekend.
“I caught myself by surprise,” Burns said after his round. “I think the finish there the last three holes was just a bonus.”
The 62s tie the course record set by Branden Grace the last time the Open was hosted at Royal Birkdale in 2017, and match the five previous 62s carded across the history of men’s major championships. After his second round, Herbert holds a two-shot lead over the rest of the field heading into the third round.
The day’s drama did not end with the historic low rounds. Two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau appeared poised to close within one shot of Herbert’s lead before rules officials handed him a two-stroke penalty for inadvertently improving his lie during his second shot at the fifth hole. The penalty came after a lengthy discussion between DeChambeau and officials over whether he improperly trampled down rough grass to improve his stance, dropping DeChambeau down the leaderboard and erasing his near-leader position.
Further down the leaderboard, several top golfers fought to secure their spots for the weekend and position themselves for a comeback. World No. 4 Cameron Young is tied for second at six-under-par alongside overnight leader Jackson Suber and Ryan Gerard, putting him in strong position to claim his first career major victory. Defending champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler sits four shots off the lead, but a series of missed short birdie putts kept him from challenging Herbert for the top spot on Friday.
Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy survived a rocky opening round to make the cut, shooting a four-under 67 on Friday to climb to one-under-par for the tournament. The Northern Irishman opened with a 72 that included six bogeys, leaving him on the cut line heading into the second round. “I think the main objective today was to be here for the weekend, which I am,” McIlroy said. “I think if I can get off to a decent start tomorrow, be four of five under for the tournament, I’ll be right in it.”
Local favorite Tommy Fleetwood earned deafening cheers from the home crowd with a late charge, carding three birdies in his final five holes to climb to four-under-par, putting him within striking distance of the lead. High-profile casualties of the cut include world No. 3 Matt Fitzpatrick and former major champion Justin Rose, both of whom missed the weekend cut after two underperforming rounds.