Herbert 'disappointed' but proud after record-equalling round

SOUTHPORT, England, July 17 : Self-confessed golf nerd Lucas Herbert admitted being disappointed with only carding a second-round 62 at Royal Birkdale on Friday to lead the British Open.

The 30-year-old Australian had a five-foot par putt on the 18th green for a nine-under 61 which would have been the lowest-ever round in the history of men's majors.

His putt slid by the hole though and he had to settle for a share of the record that was shortly afterwards matched by American Sam Burns who chipped in on the 18th.

"Even that whole back nine today, it was not lost on me the amount of history in major championships and the opportunity I had to obviously break the record," Herbert, who plays on the LIV Golf tour, told reporters on a remarkable day of scoring on the sun-baked links course on the Merseyside coast.

"I'm absolutely disappointed, and at the same time very proud to put my name on that list of guys that have shot 62 in a major championship. So it's kind of holding two emotions there at the same time. It's a tricky one, and I'm sure once the dust settles, I'll be able to sort of decompress it.

"Right now I've sort of got both going on, and it's a pretty good problem to have too, to be disappointed you shot 62."

Bendigo-born Herbert began his second round in benign conditions and said he began thinking about the major record after starting with three successive birdies.

LUCKY BREAK

"I thought (about) it when I hit it to about five feet on the third hole. I'm a golf nerd anyway, so I know all the numbers, all the records, everything like that," he said.

"So it was a bit of fun for the rest of the day just trying to acknowledge the fact that there was a chance but just to try to continue to go about what I was doing normally