Chasing a record is a challenge in itself; reaching it is another. As Lucas Herbert made history at Royal Birkdale, the media tried to draw parallels to Arnold Palmer’s collapse in 1966.

Herbert, alongside Sam Burns, matched the men's all-time major championship record of 62 on Friday. He talked about the pressure of the chase.

“I don't know that it got tougher necessarily. I mean, the first 12 holes, I might not play 12 better holes in my life. I was 8-under through 12, and you could make a very good argument that I could have been a couple better as well,” said Herbert after the round.

Herbert was on fire on the front nine. However, as the round progressed, the birdies reduced in number. Still, the Aussie remained in control, unlike Palmer at the 1966 U.S. Open.

With nine holes to play, Palmer was leading by seven strokes. The King wasn’t just chasing the championship; he was going for Ben Hogan’s U.S. Open scoring record of 276. 

The pressure got to him. Carding bogeys after bogeys, he was nowhere near the record. He and Billy Casper went to a playoff, where he lost by four strokes. He never won a major again.

Unlike Palmer, Herbert kept his cool and delivered his best.

“I didn't think it got harder towards the end of the round. I knew the record was there. The record is always going to be there, whether it's 62, whether it goes to 61 or 60. My job was to execute the best I could do and then enjoy this moment here of talking to you guys about that,” Herbert said, as shown on LIV Golf's X post.

Even though Herbert blundered a 5-ft par putt at the final hole and failed to make the record his own, he was able to take a two-stroke lead and also match the record.

Years later, Casper talked about Palmer's collapse.

Billy Casper on Arnold Palmer’s historic collapse

Billy Casper knew he had no chance to win the tournament. In fact, he was fighting for the runner-up spot at the 1966 U.S. Open.

However, Palmer started struggling on the back nine in the final round. Casper, on the other hand, began with the birdies. This put immense pressure on the King.

"I'd never, ever seen him feel the pressure like he felt the pressure then," Casper would say years later, as per ESPN. "He couldn't make a swing." 

Palmer never got over the pressure. Eventually, Casper won by four shots to claim his second of three career major victories. 

Palmer’s collapse is still talked about today.

What are your thoughts on Herbert’s performance? Share them in the comments.

Follow Club Golf for more.

Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Kalp Thaker