Jackson Suber, a debutant in the British Open, led the field after the first round on July 16 with a five-under 65 at Royal Birkdale. Suber praised the challenge of the links course, saying, "This was only my fifth day ever in Europe! So I’m definitely learning the links course... The challenge is good... It’s only Thursday so hopefully I’ll be kicking around at the weekend in the later groups" [1, 2, 3].

England’s Dan Brown and South Korea’s Im Sung-jae had shared the early lead with 66 before Suber surged ahead in the opening round [1, 2, 3]. Reigning champion Scottie Scheffler shot two-under 68 in round one and stood two under par after round two, expressing cautious optimism: "I felt like I could have gotten a little bit more out of it, but... if I continue to do what I did today with the ball-striking I’ll be in a good spot as the week goes on" [1, 4, 5].

On July 17, Australia’s Lucas Herbert took the lead with a stunning eight-under 62 in the second round, bringing his total to six under. Herbert’s front nine of 28 matched the nine-hole Open record, setting a torrid pace [4, 6, 7, 5]. He narrowly missed breaking the men’s major record for lowest round (61) after bogeying the 18th hole following a five-foot par putt that slid past. Herbert said, "I’ve got a lot of emotions, whether its relief or pride, or disappointment... I'm in a great position going into the weekend..." and added, "Even that whole back nine today, it was not lost on me the amount of history in major championships and the opportunity I had... I'm absolutely disappointed, and at the same time very proud to put my name on that list of guys that have shot 62 in a major championship." He noted, "I didn't hit a bad putt. I can at least sleep easy tonight knowing I didn't hit a bad putt, I just misread it" [7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 5].

American Sam Burns also shot an eight-under 62 in round two, matching Herbert’s score with a hole-out birdie on the 18th. Burns admitted he was unaware 62 was the tournament record until after the round, saying, "I didn't know 62 was the record. I had no idea" [9, 12].

Other notable performances in the second round included Matt Wallace, who led the clubhouse with a four-under 67, and American Eric Cole, who posted the lowest round so far with a six-under 64 [4, 5].

Jackson Suber followed his opening 65 with a one-under 69 in round two and remains firmly in contention at six under total [4, 5]. Scottie Scheffler continued steady play and was two under par after finishing his second round at Royal Birkdale [1, 4, 5].

The third round at the 2026 British Open is set to begin shortly, with Lucas Herbert holding the lead as players aim to close in on the major title.