Herbert ties Major record with 62 to lead The Open; DeChambeau penalized

Lucas Herbert holds the 36-hole lead at The Open Championship after firing a joint-record round of 62 on Friday. The Australian golfer, who described himself as a "golf nerd," carded eight-under-par 132 to finish two shots clear of Americans Jackson Suber, Cameron Young, and Ryan Gerard.

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Herbert's remarkable performance tied the lowest score ever recorded in a men's major championship. He was joined in the record books by Sam Burns, who remarkably holed out for birdie from a bunker on the 18th hole just 15 minutes after Herbert's round concluded. Both players now share the distinction previously held by Branden Grace, Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, and Shane Lowry.

However, the day was not without controversy. Bryson DeChambeau, who initially thought his closing birdie had brought him within one shot of Herbert, was penalized two strokes for improving his lie. The American was assessed the penalty after stamping down fescue grass before playing his second shot on the fifth hole, a breach of the rules for improving the area of his intended swing.

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Bryson was informed after his round [of the penalty], told he improved his swing path, that he was not careful enough in a sensitive area. He described it as a subjective decision and that Bryson was not given the benefit of the doubt.

DeChambeau's score changed from a 66 to a 68 following the ruling. He argued his case before the sanction but did not speak to the media afterward, heading directly to the driving range. His agent, Brett Falkoff, described the decision as subjective and stated DeChambeau was not given the benefit of the doubt. The R&A's director of governance, Grant Moir, clarified that the penalty applies even when the action is accidental, as it was in DeChambeau's case.

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Bryson has been penalised two strokes for inadvertently improving the area of his intended swing. An improvement means to alter one or more of the conditions affecting the stroke so that the player gains a potential advantage for the stroke. Now, I’ll stress that this applies even when the action is accidental, as it was in Bryson’s case.