British Open Leaderboard 2026 Review of Top Scorecards and Player Stats on Day 2
The Open Championship 36-hole leader Lucas Herbert was one of two players that hunted men's major-championship golf history on Friday.
Herbert surged into first place with an eight-under 62, a round that tied the best single-round score at a men's major.
Sam Burns produced the exact same score to move up five-under, three shots back of the solo leader.
Nine players shot 66 or better around Royal Birkdale to set up a fascinating weekend hunt for the Claret Jug.
Cameron Young, Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg are among the notable names within striking distance of Herbert.
The full leaderboard can be found here on the official tournament website.
Lucas Herbert, Sam Burns Tie Best Round Score In a Men's Major
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Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns chased history during the second round.
Herbert was one putt shy of breaking the single-round scoring record at a men's major.
The 36-hole leader had a short putt on the 18th hole to card a 61, but the putt pulled to the left.
Herbert tapped in for an eight-under 62 and sole possession of the lead.
Herbert started his round on a blistering pace with six birdies on the first nine holes, including three consecutive birdies to begin the round.
The Australian continued on record pace with three birdies on the back nine.
Unfortunately, his missed putt for 61 was also a par putt. He recorded his only bogey of the round on No. 18 to settle for the 62.
Burns caught fire on the back nine with six birdies. He had an average start with seven pars and two birdies on the front nine.
Once Burns made the turn, he discovered the low-scoring form that etched his name in the record book.
Herbert and Burns became the fifth and sixth golfers to record a 62 at any men's major championship.
Now, both players have a legitimate chance to claim the Claret Jug. Both players are going after their first major titles.
Bryson DeChambeau's Penalty Diminishes Strong Round
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Bryson DeChambeau had moved within one shot of Herbert with a tremendous round on Friday afternoon. However, it was not meant to be after he was given a two-stroke penalty for improving his lie on the fifth hole of the second round.
DeChambeau had shot a four-under 66 to move to seven-under for the tournament. He is now at five-under heading into Saturday.
The American finished off his round with birdies on the 17th and 18th holes. He had five birdies and a single bogey on his Friday card.
The back-to-back birdies to end the round should have provided DeChambeau with a massive momentum boost going into Saturday. Now he will look to make up the extra ground he lost with the penalty.
At minimum, the early rounds at Royal Birkdale present a complete 180-degree turn in DeChambeau's major-tournament form in 2026.
He missed the first three major cuts of the season. Before that, he finished inside the top 10 at six of his eight majors in 2024 and 2025.
Last Two Major Winners Miss Cut
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The 2026 PGA and U.S. Open champions will not be around for the weekend at Royal Birkdale.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open last month, and Aaron Rai, the current PGA champion, missed the cut by a combined three shots.
Clark made a dramatic late push to make the cut with two birdies in a row on Nos. 15 and 16 and an eagle on No. 17.
Clark entered the 15th hole with a four-over score for the round that was highlighted by back-to-back double bogeys in the second and third holes.
The U.S. Open champion finished with an even-par second round, but that wasn't enough to bring him up from three-over.
Rai just couldn't make birdies on a consistent level over two rounds. He had two birdies and three bogeys over 36 holes.
The slew of pars on Thursday and Friday were not good enough for Rai on a course that was susceptible to low scores.
