It was one of those wild Open Championship afternoons that had sports Ireland fans glued to the screen and then scratching their heads. Shane Lowry’s place in major championship history remained intact at Royal Birkdale, but the bigger talking point for many viewers was a strange broadcast imbalance as two brilliant 62s unfolded on the same day.
Lowry’s record-low 62 in a men’s major, set at the 2024 PGA Championship, is no longer unique, but it is still part of one of golf’s most exclusive achievements. On Friday at The Open, Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns both matched that number with sensational second rounds, joining Lowry, Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Brendan Grace on the all-time list.
Sports Ireland reaction as Shane Lowry stays in elite company
For followers of irish sports and golf Ireland, the key takeaway is simple: Lowry remains woven into major history. Herbert and Burns did not surpass the standard; they equalled it. That means the Offaly golfer still shares the lowest round ever recorded in a men’s major championship, a significant milestone for ireland sports news and for Irish golf news alike.
Herbert was first to hit the mark. The Australian charged up the leaderboard with a dazzling 62 and came within touching distance of something even bigger. A missed par putt at the last denied him an outright record-breaking 61, but his round still transformed his week and pushed him firmly into Claret Jug contention.
Burns then produced a charge of his own. Starting the day well down the field, the American surged back into the picture with a remarkable 8-under round, capped by a chip-in birdie on the 18th. In leaderboard terms, it was one of the stories of the day.
Why Open viewers were confused by the TV coverage
The unusual part was not the golf. It was how the golf was shown. Viewers following ireland live sports and ireland sports updates online noticed that Herbert’s round received the bulk of the television attention, while Burns’ equally historic effort seemed to happen almost off-camera until the closing moments.
That sparked a wave of reaction on social media, where fans questioned how two rounds of genuine major-championship history could unfold on the same course, on the same afternoon, yet only one felt fully visible to the audience.
- Herbert’s position near the top of the leaderboard made him the natural broadcast priority
- Burns began much further back, which likely affected live camera focus
- Viewers still felt a round for the history books deserved more complete coverage
In fairness, live golf production is often shaped by leaderboard drama. But when a player matches the lowest score ever seen in a major, audiences expect to see more than highlights at the finish.
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What it means for Lowry and the championship
For Lowry, there is no negative angle here. If anything, Friday reinforced the scale of his own achievement. Matching 62 in a major is extraordinarily rare, and every new name added to that list only strengthens the prestige of those already on it.
For the tournament itself, Herbert’s climb into contention and Burns’ dramatic leap up the standings added fresh intrigue heading into the weekend. That is the kind of momentum golf Ireland followers, ireland sports analysis readers and major fans want from The Open.
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The next thing to watch
The focus now turns from the cameras to the leaderboard. Can Herbert carry that form into moving day? Can Burns back up his surge when the pressure rises? And can Lowry produce a weekend response of his own?
For sports Ireland readers, the lasting image is clear: Shane Lowry still owns a share of one of golf’s greatest scoring feats, even as The Open delivered a bizarre TV debate around two rounds that deserved equal billing. The next chapter is whether either chaser can turn history-making golf into a serious run at the Claret Jug.
Article/Image Courtesy: Balls.ie
