Tournament

Herbert 62, Burns 62: Open R2 Recap & R3 Preview

Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns both shot 62 in the same major round — a feat never before seen at the Open Championship. R3 tees off Saturday at Royal Birkdale with a logjammed leaderboard. For more context, see our [Royal Birkdale on GSPro guide](/guides/royal-birkdale-on-gspro/) and [Ryan Fox Open champion coverage](/news/ryan-fox-open-champion-154th-royal-birkdale-2026/).

ABy Ace|July 18, 2026
The short answer

Lucas Herbert (62) and Sam Burns (62) made history with two 62s in the same major round. Bryson leads at -11. R3 tees off Saturday.

Herbert 62, Burns 62: Open R2 Recap & R3 Preview

Round 2 of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale produced a statistical oddity that might never happen again: two players shot 62 in the same round of a major.

Lucas Herbert (Australia) and Sam Burns (USA) both fired 8-under 62s on Friday — the joint-lowest rounds in Open Championship history at a par-70 layout. They did it hours apart, on the same course, in the same championship round.

The 62 Club

Herbert went first, posting a bogey-free 62 that included a stretch of five birdies in six holes on the front nine. Burns matched him in the afternoon session, making eight birdies against a single dropped shot.

To put this in perspective: no major championship in history had ever seen two players shoot 62 in the same round. The Open’s previous low was 63, shared by multiple players across different years.

The leaderboard after R2:

Position Player Score R2 Score
T1 Bryson DeChambeau -8 67
T1 Lucas Herbert -8 62
T1 Sam Burns -8 62
4 Jackson Suber -7 66
T5 Cameron Young -6 68
T5 Tommy Fleetwood -6 69

What It Means for Home Sim Golf

The 154th Open has been the most sim-integrated in history, and R2’s fireworks only strengthen the connection. Every player in contention has logged thousands of hours on simulators — and the Toptracer Global Challenge running alongside the real tournament proves the technology pipeline is real.

Royal Birkdale is available on GSPro, E6 Connect, and GOLF+ VR right now. You can play the exact course where Herbert and Burns made history, with the same Toptracer-enhanced ball tracking that’s lighting up broadcast coverage.

Coverage continues: Check our R3 moving day recap for the full Saturday story, and Sunday’s final round after the champion is crowned.

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