AdvertisementAdvertisementGolf - The 154th Open Championship - Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, Britain - July 17, 2026 Australia's Lucas Herbert hits his tee shot on the 16th hole during the second round REUTERS/Phil NobleGolf - The 154th Open Championship - Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, Britain - July 17, 2026 Australia's Lucas Herbert on the 15th hole during the second round REUTERS/Phil NobleGolf - The 154th Open Championship - Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, Britain - July 17, 2026 Australia's Lucas Herbert hits his approach on the 18th hole during the second round REUTERS/Phil NobleGolf - The 154th Open Championship - Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, Britain - July 17, 2026 Australia's Lucas Herbert hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during the second round REUTERS/Phil NobleGolf - The 154th Open Championship - Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, Britain - July 17, 2026 Australia's Lucas Herbert acknowledges spectators after making his putt for bogey on the 18th hole during the second round REUTERS/Phil Noble17 Jul 2026 09:45PM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST SOUTHPORT, July 17 : Australia's Lucas Herbert fell agonisingly short of the lowest round in men's major history with a stunning eight-under-par 62 firing him to the top of the British Open leaderboard on Friday.The 30-year-old, who began the day on level par, had a par putt of around five feet on Royal Birkdale's 18th green to make history, but it slid past for his only bogey of the day.Despite an incredible round of golf he looked dejected as he shook hands with his playing partners, having equalled the men's major record low round achieved on several occasions, including by Branden Grace at the 2017 Open also at Royal Birkdale.With benign conditions on the sun-baked course, Herbert unleashed a breathtaking blitz of birdies.Show MoreShow LessHe rolled in six as he reached the turn in 28 shots - equalling the nine-hole Open record of Denis Durnian at Birkdale in 1983. His assault continued on the back nine with birdies at the 11th, 12th and 16th and when he set up a birdie putt on the 17th with a stunning chip even a sub-60 round looked possible.Herbert missed that but a par on the long par-four 18th would have done the job. After a wayward drive he left himself with a relatively straightforward up-and-down from in front of the green, but he faltered at the last.The other 62s in men's major rounds were by Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele at the 2023 U.S. Open and by Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry at the 2024 PGA Championship.Herbert, who missed the cut on three of his last four Open appearances, leads by two shots from overnight leader Jackson Suber who followed his opening 65 with a solid one-under 69.Source: ReutersNewsletterRecommended ReadSubscribe to CNA's Recommended ReadA single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST