Australian golfer Lucas Herbert came agonizingly close to etching his name into golf history at the 2026 Open Championship, only to see the opportunity slip away on the final green.
Herbert’s stellar second round came down to a single stroke on the 18th hole, where he faced a five-foot putt that would have delivered the impossible. The miss resulted in a bogey, leaving him with a second-round score of 62—an outstanding performance that nonetheless fell one shot short of perfection.
The Record That Almost Was
The significance of Herbert’s near-miss cannot be overstated. A 61 would have set the record for the lowest round ever recorded in a men’s major championship, a milestone that remains unclaimed in professional golf’s most prestigious tournaments. Instead, Herbert’s 62 stands as an exceptional but ultimately incomplete effort.
The final hole proved decisive in Herbert’s bid for history. After navigating 17 holes with the precision required to approach such elite scoring, the Australian golfer’s stroke on the 18th denied him a place among golf’s most exclusive achievements. The five-foot putt represented the difference between legendary status and a merely excellent day on the course.
Herbert’s performance throughout the second round had positioned him perfectly for a historic moment. The consistency needed to reach that stage—with only one blemish required to achieve the record—demonstrated the level of golf he was playing. That he came within inches of transforming his entire tournament narrative speaks to how fine the margins truly are in championship golf.
The 2026 Open Championship will remember Herbert’s 62 as a reminder that even the most spectacular rounds in major championship golf can leave players wondering about what might have been.