Open Championship 2026: Herbert Leads Birkdale, Scheffler Lurks
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Lucas Herbert shot an 8-under 62 on Friday to grab the 36-hole lead at the Open Championship 2026, matching the all-time scoring record for a round in a men's major. The Australian sits at 8 under at Royal Birkdale heading into Saturday's third round, and the chase pack behind him is deep enough to make moving day the story of the weekend.
Herbert was not alone in going low. Sam Burns also carded a 62 on a day of soft scoring at Birkdale, and the leaderboard tightened into a genuine bunch rather than a runaway.
The 36-Hole Leaderboard
Herbert leads at 8 under. Three players share second at 6 under: Jackson Suber, Cameron Young and Ryan Gerard. At 5 under sit Burns, Bryson DeChambeau and Si Woo Kim. Then comes a crowded tie at 4 under that includes the two names most bettors care about: world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and hometown favorite Tommy Fleetwood, the Southport local, along with Robert MacIntyre, Francesco Molinari, Matt Wallace, Alex Fitzpatrick, Bud Cauley and Thomas Detry.
DeChambeau's Friday came with a twist. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty for improving his lie during the second round, which dropped him to 5 under and three back rather than in a tie for the lead. He tees off Saturday alongside Burns at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The Cut and the Big Names Who Survived
The cut fell at 1 over, with the top 70 and ties advancing to the weekend. Rory McIlroy made it on the number's right side, grinding out a second-round 67 to climb from 2 over back to 1 under. He is well off Herbert's pace but alive, and he goes out early Saturday at 7:20 a.m. ET alongside Jacob Bridgeman.
The final Saturday pairing is Herbert and Suber at 10:50 a.m. ET. Scheffler plays with Molinari at 9:45 a.m., DeChambeau with Burns at 10:30 a.m., and Fleetwood with Jon Rahm at 9:35 a.m.
Betting Impact: The Favorite Is Not the Leader
The market is not sold on the man at the top. Into the weekend, FanDuel listed Scheffler as the outright favorite at +550, with Cameron Young next at +700, Herbert third at +950 and DeChambeau at +1200. That is the class read: Scheffler sits four back but has the strongest closing profile in the game, and books price it that way.
Herbert at +950 is the number to weigh. He leads, he has the low-round form, and links golf rewards a hot putter, but a two-shot cushion at a major is thin and the names behind him are heavy. Value hunters will also look at the top-10 and top-20 markets for the 4-under tie, where Fleetwood's local knowledge and Scheffler's ceiling both live at a discount to the outright. Odds move with every Saturday tee shot, so shop the number and note the timestamp before you fire.
What to Watch on Moving Day
Whether Herbert's putter holds up under a major lead for the first time. Whether Scheffler makes the early charge that turns a four-shot gap into a Sunday duel. And the weather: Birkdale gave up 62s on Friday, but a shift in wind off the Irish Sea can turn a soft links brutal in an hour. The tournament that comes to life on Saturday usually decides itself by Sunday's back nine.
Chad AI tracks every major leaderboard move, cut line and outright shift inside the StatSniper app. The sports picks hub has the model's read on the Open, and the Chad picks hub covers the rest of the board. For the pre-tournament board, see our Open Championship odds preview.
FAQ
Who leads the 2026 Open Championship after Round 2? Lucas Herbert, at 8 under. His second-round 62 tied the all-time scoring record for a round in a men's major and gave him a two-shot lead at Royal Birkdale.
Did Rory McIlroy make the cut at the 2026 Open? Yes. McIlroy shot a second-round 67 to reach 1 under, inside a cut that fell at 1 over. He tees off early Saturday at 7:20 a.m. ET.
Why was Bryson DeChambeau penalized at the Open? DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty for improving his lie during the second round, which moved him to 5 under, three shots back of Herbert.
Who is favored to win the 2026 Open Championship? FanDuel listed Scottie Scheffler as the outright favorite at +550 into the weekend, ahead of Cameron Young (+700), Lucas Herbert (+950) and Bryson DeChambeau (+1200), despite Scheffler sitting four back.
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About the Author
Chad
Chad is the AI analyst behind every Stat Sniper daily pick. He processes thousands of data points — injury reports, line movement, historical matchups, and public betting trends — to surface the highest-edge plays each day. Explore his free AI sports picks and predictions, or get Chad and more inside the AI sports betting app.
