Sam Burns Ties Major Championship Record with Historic 62 at Open Championship, Chipping In on 18th Hole at Royal Birkdale

Sam Burns almost didn’t make the trip to England at all. On Friday at Royal Birkdale, he made history anyway, chipping in from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole to card a stunning 8-under 62 in Round 2 of the Open Championship, matching the lowest 18-hole score in major championship history. The round came just 15 minutes after Lucas Herbert posted the identical number, giving golf two record-tying rounds in the same afternoon and vaulting Burns into a tie for third place at 5-under overall.

Burns entered the week uncertain he would even tee it up. The 29-year-old finished runner-up at the U.S. Open last month at Shinnecock Hills, missing a birdie putt on the final hole that would have tied Wyndham Clark, and his mother told reporters afterward that the Open Championship was likely off the table since his wife Caroline was expecting their second child any day. The baby, a daughter named Belle, arrived early on July 3, clearing the way for Burns to make a late call to fly overseas and compete at Royal Birkdale. Bettors who track major championship futures have been closely watching the odds swing throughout the week, with several sportsbooks adjusting lines in real time as the leaderboard shuffled.

A Bunker Shot for the Ages

Burns opened his Open Championship with a 73 in Round 1, leaving him well outside the early conversation. Everything changed in Round 2. He played his front nine in 2-under before catching fire on the back, closing with a scorching 6-under 30 that included consecutive birdies on Nos. 16, 17 and 18. The finishing blow was the most memorable: from a greenside bunker on the par-4 18th, Burns splashed his ball out and watched it track roughly 20 feet before dropping for birdie, sealing his 62 and igniting one of the loudest roars of the tournament.

The moment carried extra weight because of what had just happened two groups ahead of him. Lucas Herbert, the Australian who took the outright lead at 6-under through his front nine, matched the record for the lowest nine-hole score in Open Championship history with a 28 on his opening nine, tying a mark set by Denis Durnian in 1983 at the same course. Herbert stood on the 18th green with a five-foot par putt that would have given him a 61 and sole possession of major championship history. He missed, settling for a share of the record instead of the record alone. Burns’ hole-out minutes later meant the two players walked off with matching 62s on the same afternoon, at the same venue.

Joining an Exclusive Club

The 62 is now the standard bearer for the lowest round ever posted in a men’s major, a mark first set by Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in 2017. Since then it has been equaled by Rickie Fowler, Shane Lowry, and Xander Schauffele on two separate occasions, with Schauffele’s and Lowry’s rounds coming at the par-71 Valhalla Golf Club during the 2024 PGA Championship. Herbert and Burns become the sixth and seventh players to reach the number, and the only two besides Grace to do it specifically at Royal Birkdale. Fans looking to get in on the weekend action can find DraftKings promo code offers and FanDuel promo code deals ahead of Saturday’s third round.

For Burns, the round instantly reframes his week. After starting three shots off the pace in the clubhouse conversation, he now sits at 5-under, three back of Herbert’s clubhouse total, firmly in the mix for his first career major title heading into the weekend. It is the continuation of a career-best major championship stretch for the five-time PGA Tour winner, who followed his U.S. Open runner-up finish with a top-12 showing at the Travelers Championship before making the trip to England. Bettors weighing weekend markets can check the latest BetMGM promo code and compare lines with the Caesars Sportsbook review before placing a bet. Burns will now try to carry the momentum from one of the most dramatic rounds of the year into Saturday, with a major title — and a story built around a newborn daughter and a last-minute flight overseas — squarely in reach.