Herbert leads Open after record 62 as DeChambeau penalised
Record-tying rounds from Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns have tightened the leaderboard at The Open, delivering a strong weekend narrative for broadcaster Sky Sports after a rules controversy penalised Bryson DeChambeau.
Lucas Herbert holds a two-shot lead at The Open after carding an eight-under 62 in the second round at Royal Birkdale. The score equals the lowest round in men's major championship history.
Herbert reached the turn in 28 shots after six front-nine birdies, matching the lowest front-nine in major history. Further birdies at the 11th, 12th and 16th moved him to nine under. However, he missed a five-foot par putt at the last to become the first male to shoot a 61 in a major.
Sam Burns matched the Australian's historic 62 less than 30 minutes later. Burns finished with three consecutive birdies, including a 20-footer at the 17th and a bunker hole-out at the 18th. "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," Burns said.
The leaderboard was reshuffled by a contentious rules ruling involving Bryson DeChambeau, who entered the week looking to avoid missing the cut at all four majors. DeChambeau followed an opening 67 with a birdie-birdie finish to post a seemingly clean 66. He was then penalised two shots over 70 minutes after walking off the 18th green.
R&A Referee Grant Moir said DeChambeau was penalised for inadvertently improving the area of his intended backswing on the fifth hole. "Rule 8.1 restricts what a player may do to improve any of the protected conditions affecting the stroke," Moir said. "I'll stress that this applies even when the action is accidental, as it was in Bryson's case."
The penalty turned a bogey into a triple-bogey seven, dropping DeChambeau to five under and leaving him tied for fifth. Golf Channel reported that the two-time major champion was undecided on continuing in the tournament. His potential exit represents a setback for weekend viewership.
For exclusive UK and Irish broadcaster Sky Sports, the tournament's commercial appeal now rests on a tightly packed leaderboard. World number one Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Bob MacIntyre, Matt Wallace, Alex Fitzpatrick and home favourite Tommy Fleetwood are all within four shots of the lead. Fleetwood and McIlroy, who sits seven back after a 67, both posted solid scores to stay in contention.
Overnight leader Jackson Suber added a one-under 69 to sit in second place at six under, alongside Cameron Young and Gerard. Just nine strokes covered the 78 players who made the cut, though several high-profile names departed early. US Open winner Wyndham Clark, Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick and 2017 champion Jordan Spieth all missed the weekend.
