Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns lit up Royal Birkdale on the second day of The Open 2026, each posting a 62 that matched the lowest score in men's major history. On a day when the leaderboard moved fast, Bryson DeChambeau also became part of the story after being handed a two-shot penalty during his second-round 68.
That is the kind of round that changes the shape of a championship in a hurry. Herbert and Burns did not just go low; they joined a number that sits at the edge of major-championship history, while DeChambeau's card was altered after the rules issue surfaced in the middle of his own round. For readers following the wider picture around Scheffler, the second round at Royal Birkdale delivered both the kind of scoring surge that can force a chase and a penalty that can reshape the margin for anyone still in contention.
Royal Birkdale has already produced the sort of second-round drama that can define a week, and this one belongs to the players who made the boldest moves on the board. Herbert and Burns shared the same rare number, 62, and that alone would have been enough to command attention. DeChambeau's day, by contrast, carried a complication that left his 68 looking very different once the penalty was added. In a major, that is often the difference between a round that feels clean and one that has to be explained.
What makes the moment sharper is what comes next. Live coverage is set to continue throughout the week on Sky Sports Golf, with the second round now serving as the standard the rest of The Open must answer. The unanswered detail around DeChambeau's penalty matters too, because in a championship like this even one rules decision can change how the rest of the week is played.
