Lucas Herbert made history at Royal Birkdale, carding a second-round 62 that tied the lowest round ever shot in a major. Despite that, he closed with a 71 to finish 6-under, four shots behind the winner. Had he avoided two costly bogeys on the back nine in the final round, he could have finished with an 8-under 69. It could have moved him to the top four and earned him an exemption into the next three majors. While the Australian is content with his record-tying score, he did not hide his heartbreak over the near miss.

“But yeah, missed top five, it looks like, unless Sam Burns forgets how to breathe on the last,” Herbert said. “I’m going to miss the top five, which would have bought all the majors. It’s annoying that we are 12 months away from the next major I’m going to play.

“Yeah, it is what it is. It was a great experience, the whole week. Yeah, I can’t be too upset. A lot of positives to take. It’s my best, waking up the last, regardless of what happens. This is my best major finish. I genuinely contended. I was up around the lead for the last, what, 45 holes? That’s a lot to take away from that. I’ve learned so much this week.”

🤔 golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

How Many Kiwi Golfers Have Won a Major?

3451

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

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The Australian lost a chance at his first major win by a margin. The record-setting second-round 62 was built around a record-equaling front nine of 28. Had he not missed a 5-foot par putt on the 18th in the second round, he would have had the chance to shoot 61 outright.

However, moving day pulled Herbert back to earth. He finished the third round with a 1-over 71 that dropped him from a share of the lead into a tie for fourth. On Saturday, he stood three shots behind an in-form Burns heading into Sunday. Although he stayed in contention into the final round, Ryan Fox’s late birdie surge proved costly.

On the flip side, his final round was inconsistent. His biggest highlight of the round was a birdie on the par-4 10th that moved him to under-8. But he soon made a bogey on the par-4 11th. He continued to maintain a streak of pars, but another bogey at the par-5 17th hampered his dream to win his first major.

“Just couldn’t really get any momentum going,” he said. “Every time I made a birdie, I backed it up with a bogey.”

His frustration also stems from the fact that not only did he miss a chance to win, but he also marginally lost the chance to be in the top four. As per Golf Digest, a top-four tie finish at the Open exempts a player from all four majors the following year. It’s the security blanket Herbert’s been looking for this year. However, what he did secure is a top-10 result that still exempts him directly into next year’s Open at St. Andrews, sparing him a 36-hole qualifier.

That said, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this finish still beats anything else on his resume. His previous best major result was a T-13 at the 2022 PGA Championship. Between the 2024 PGA Championship and this week’s Open, he hasn’t been able to make the cut for a major. In fact, he missed the Open last year as well.

A win or a top five would have been transformative, but contention and a promise to contend again at St. Andrews have left him proud as he looks forward to fulfilling his dream to win a major championship.

Lucas Herbert is looking to contend at the Masters

Augusta National carries weight for Herbert. His only appearance at the Masters came in 2022, when he missed the cut in his debut. And he hasn’t been back since. The absence is part of why the top five miss stung the way it did, and it’s also the backdrop to the wish he shared in the conference.

“I’ve watched a couple of mates that are in line for tickets to the Masters from 2023 when I just missed it there. I missed my spot on world rankings. They’ve been in line for four years now. I’m already looking forward to the text I’m going to get in that group chat,” Herbert said.

Getting back to Augusta now runs through the same pathway that cost him a spot in 2023, the world ranking. The Masters invites the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking as of the following February and again the week before the tournament in April.

As a LIV Golf player, Herbert’s route up that ranking has been narrower than most since LIV only began earning OWGR points this season. A big result on the Tour over the rest of the year remains his clearest shot at climbing back inside that number before the next spring. For now, he heads to JCB Golf and Country Club for LIV Golf UK next week.