3 weeks ago
Australian play prima Lucas Herbert has held his nervus to declare his maiden LIV Golf League title and unafraid a priceless summons to adjacent month’s US Open successful New York.
Herbert had a five-shot final-round lead slashed to 1 earlier regaining his composure to spot disconnected nan situation of Spanish awesome Sergio Garcia successful a melodramatic climax to LIV Golf Virginia.
Too sick to complete a afloat believe information earlier nan mega-money event, Herbert showcased each his characteristic and grit successful closing pinch a roller-coaster three-under-par 69 to triumph by 4 shots and cod a life-changing $US4 cardinal ($A5.54 million) winner’s cheque.
The Bendigo-born talent vanished astatine 24 nether for nan 72 holes, pinch Garcia (70) edging retired big-hitting American Bryson DeChambeau (66) by a changeable to snare nan runner-up spoils astatine Trump National Golf Club successful Washington, DC.
Teammates Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman and Elvis Smylie showered Herbert pinch champagne connected nan 18th greenish aft nan 30-year-old’s wire-to-wire triumph completed a afloat group of LIV Golf individual victories for nan all-Australian Ripper GC outfit.
Leishman jagged his maiden title past twelvemonth successful Miami earlier Smylie held disconnected Jon Rahm down nan agelong to people a thrilling one-shot triumph astatine LIV Golf Riyadh successful February.
Ripper skipper Smith is simply a three-time LIV victor but, ironically, nan superstar’s astir caller triumph came earlier his 3 teammates’ breakthroughs, 3 years agone successful New Jersey.
With his seventh master victory, Herbert has besides now won connected each 4 awesome worldwide circuits, having antecedently won connected nan US PGA Tour, Europe’s DP World Tour and successful Australasia.
“Probably that I tin execute beautiful damn good erstwhile things aren’t perfect,” Herbert said erstwhile asked what he’d learnt astir himself.
“I was beautiful sick each week and I woke up this greeting astir apt emotion worse than I did nan past fewer days. I had Sergio coming astatine maine for 36 holes really difficult and he pushed maine nan full way, made maine gain that one.”
Despite nan extremity margin, Herbert’s occurrence came thing but easily.
With 4 birdies successful his first 8 holes, he was cruising aft building a five-shot advantage. But aft overcooking his 9 robust connected nan par-3 ninth and needing 3 spot shots to find nan green, Herbert racked up a dreaded double bogey arsenic Garcia drained a 30-foot birdie putt successful a three-shot swing.
Herbert was abruptly clinging to a two-stroke lead heading to nan backmost nine. The buffer was conscionable 1 erstwhile Garcia conjured a tap-in birdie astatine No 10.
But location was a further twist astatine nan 11th, erstwhile Herbert holed a testing 12-foot downhill putt earlier Garcia missed his shorter birdie effort to springiness nan Australian immoderate breathing space, 2 shots backmost successful front.
He was 4 clear again aft picking up nan sixth birdie of his information connected 12 and Garcia bogeyed 13, earlier slamming nan doorway unopen connected nan Spaniard pinch different birdie astatine 15.
“I didn’t thief myself,” Herbert said. “I missed a fewer putts present and location and made it a title late, but aft nan rainfall delay, nan measurement I played those 8 shots, I’m truthful proud of that and can’t hold to observe pinch everyone tonight.”
