After starting his opening round on the 10th hole at Martis Camp Club, Herbert birdied three of his first seven holes to be in the top five on the leaderboard.

However bogeys on the 18th, first, third, fifth and sixth holes saw him slip back to two-over par.

The 17-year-old is seven shots behind leaders Corey Eddings and Scottie Scheffler.

Herbert’s Australian squad team-mate Ryan Ruffels is in a tie for 58th at four-over par.

On a tough day for scoring, just 17 of the 156 players broke par.

The top 64 players at the completion of today’s second round qualify for the matchplay section of the championship.

The matchplay event is a knockout format, with the final two players to go head-to-head over 36 holes on Sunday AEST.

The US Junior Amateur Championship is one of the most prestigious junior golf events in the world and a proven breeding ground for future professional stars.

Tiger Woods won a hat-trick of titles from 1991-93, while Australia’s Aaron Baddeley lost the 1998 final to James Oh.

Former world number one David Duval won the 1989 title, while Hunter Mahan defeated Camilo Villegas in the 1999 decider.

America’s Jordan Speith, who two weeks ago won his first US PGA tour event at the age of 19, took out the 2011 final.