The 30-year-old Victorian conjured up the round of his life on a glorious second morning of the Open on Friday, firing nine birdies as he completely turned the tournament on its head, transforming a five-shot overnight deficit into a two-shot lead over the field.
Starting with the lowest nine-hole score in Open history by turning in 28 at six under, LIV Golf star Herbert didn't take his foot off the gas in the perfect scoring conditions, adding three more birdies after the turn.
But needing just a par on the 18th hole for the all-time record low round in a major of 61, Herbert finally blinked, hitting a wayward drive and then missing a short five-foot par-putt and having to settle for a 62.
That equalled the mark set by five other players in a major championship round - Branden Grace at the Birkdale Open in 2017, Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele at the LA Country Club in the US Open in 2023, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry at the PGA in 2024.
His 62 left him on eight-under for the championships, two shots clear of overnight leader Jackson Suber, who moved to six-under after a second-round one-under 69.
It was a remarkable day for the in-form Herbert, who revealed earlier in the week at Southport how the uncertainty surrounding the future of LIV Golf had taken a toll on him, and even made him consider his future in the sport.
He opened up by holing a 16-foot birdie putt at the first, and followed with a 15-footer at the second. He chased that spectacular start with a tee shot to five feet at the short third to move immediately to three under.
On Thursday, none of the seven Australian golfers had been able to break par, but Herbert was eagerly cashing in on the mild morning conditions on a baking links course that he had described as being like "playing a game of country cricket out on a real rural oval".
On the 326-yard fifth, Herbert's bold attack on the par-four meant his drive nestled up at the side of the green, and he nearly chipped in for an eagle, coming up an inch short as he settled for birdie number four.
At the short seventh, he didn't threaten the pin with his tee shot, finishing some 36 feet away, but he holed the putt nonetheless to take the outright lead for the first time.
At the ninth, Herbert putted from the fringe from 25 feet to make it six birdies in nine holes, equalling the Open nine-hole record set on the same Birkdale course by Englishman Denis Durnian in 1983.
Fearlessly, the Australian, with his trusty ZZ-Top bearded caddie Nick Pugh alongside, kept on the attack, holing a 10-footer at the 11th and from 13ft at the next to move to eight under.
The all-time record was on and looked a reality when he pitched his approach to seven foot on the 16th, holing his ninth birdie of the day to leave him, almost unthinkably, needing two birdies to shoot the first 59 in majors.Â
A terrible second on the par-five 17th left him scrabbling way off the green, but he chipped up to 10 foot, only to miss the putt but settle for par.
.All he needed was a par on the tough 500-yard 18th, but perhaps nerves finally got to him as he played his worst hole after nearly five hours of golf
