Australian Lucas Herbert fired a record-equalling 62 in the second round of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Friday, putting himself four shots clear of a crowded field that includes some of the biggest names in golf.
According to BBC Sport, Herbert's round matched the all-time low in Open Championship history, vaulting him to the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend. Four shots back in a packed group sits England's Tommy Fleetwood, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, English pair Matt Wallace and Alex Fitzpatrick, Spanish superstar Jon Rahm, and defending champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler.
Fleetwood's position carries a weight beyond the scorecard. He grew up in Southport, just up the road from Royal Birkdale, and once scampered over the course's fence as a kid to get onto the links he dreamed of playing one day. On Friday, thousands of local fans followed his every shot, and he delivered. After scrambling through an opening-day 69, Fleetwood turned in a three-under 67 thanks to a flurry of three birdies in his final five holes.
"They've been an absolute pleasure to play in front of for these two days. I love that I played some good golf there and something to cheer about," Fleetwood said. "They make a big difference to me. They helped me so much [on Thursday] when I was struggling. You can't ask for any more than what they're giving me."
Fleetwood is one of the best players in the world never to have won a major. That fact sits at the center of everything happening around him this week. The crowd knows it. He knows it.
"Of course there's pressure," he said. "My own expectations are huge, and my own dreams started here. All that stuff's massive, but it's only good stuff."
MacIntyre, 29, from Oban, is also positioned well after rounds of 67 and 69. He has three top-10 finishes in six Open Championship starts and won the Scottish Open in 2024, giving him legitimate links credentials. He described Friday's round as solid, though he admitted he had to remind himself to focus after a scrambled par on the sixth hole following two shots out of the rough. "It was a great round of golf," MacIntyre said, adding that he had to give himself a reminder to "switch on" at that point.
The round's biggest controversy surrounded Bryson DeChambeau. ESPN reported that the R&A assessed DeChambeau a two-stroke penalty following his second round for an infraction on the fifth hole. BBC Sport described the penalty as coming for inadvertently improving his lie. Despite the penalty, DeChambeau remains well in the mix heading into Saturday.
Herbert's 62 and the closeness of the pack behind him set up a third round with major consequences. Fleetwood, playing in front of a home crowd that has treated him like a local hero throughout the week, will be the one the Birkdale galleries watch most closely when play resumes Saturday.
