Herbert and Burns match major record at Royal Birkdale

Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns both carded eight-under 62s during the second round of The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale on Friday. The remarkable scores equalled the lowest round in men’s major championship history.

Herbert reached the turn in 28 strokes to match the lowest front nine in a men's major, having birdied four of his opening five holes and sinking a 40-foot putt at the seventh. He moved to nine under with a birdie at the 16th, but missed a 10-foot birdie chance at the 17th. He then squandered the chance for solo history by missing from inside five feet to bogey the final hole.

"It was very cool to experience that, and the nerves coming down the stretch," Herbert told Sky Sports. "At 17, I was thinking of making eagle there and a round of 59!"

Playing two groups behind, Burns reached the turn in 32 before birdying the 10th, 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th. He then holed out from a greenside bunker at the final hole to secure his own place in the record books.

"I caught myself by surprise," Burns admitted. "I thought coming into the day if I could get it to red numbers for the golf tournament, that would be a pretty good spot. I think the finish there the last three holes was just a bonus."

The scores matched the benchmark set by Branden Grace at the same venue in 2017. Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry are the only other male players to achieve the feat. Haeran Ryu set the outright major record with a 60 at the Amundi Evian Championship six days ago.

For Sky Sports, the exclusive home of The Open in the UK and Ireland, the unprecedented double record provides a significant driver for weekend viewership. The broadcaster is directing audiences toward its streaming platform, Sky Sports+. Featured group coverage will run on the app alongside traditional linear broadcasts from 9am on Saturday and 8am on Sunday.