Lucas Herbert Breaks Course Record With 11-Under Round 1 At LIV Golf UK

Lucas Herbert and Bryson DeChambeau picked up right where they left off at Royal Birkdale.

Herbert, who has been the hottest Ripper GC in recent weeks, fired an 11-under 61 in the opening round of LIV Golf United Kingdom Presented by JCB at JCB Golf & Country Club. The bogey-free effort broke the course record of 62, set four years ago at an event when the layout also played to a par of 72.

It's the lowest score relative to par in his LIV Golf career and a continuation of a stretch that's seen Herbert become one of the hottest players in the game, starting with a win at LIV Golf Virginia in May. He then held the 36-hole lead at The Open Championship, where he shot 62 in the second round to tie the all-time major scoring record.

Now he has shot 11 under in the first round at JCB.

Herbert made the turn in 5-under 31 and kept the foot down with a 6-under back nine, missing a chance at something even more special when a putt on 17 for a shot at 59 just missed.

"Of course it was," Herbert said when asked if he was thinking about 59. "You could see in my reaction there on 17, when that didn't go in, I was like, that was my chance. But if you were going to pick days you were going to shoot 59, I wouldn't have thought today would have been the day. The golf course is a little firm, which makes it play a little tougher and a bit of breeze out there that kind of moved around. I'm pretty incredibly happy with 61 still."

He credited his recent run of results for a new level of belief.

"I think once you've been there and done that a little bit, you have the confidence that you know you can do it," he said. "I feel like I'm getting a new taste for being out there at the top of the leaderboard."

Right behind him is DeChambeau, who