An Australian LIV golf star has revealed how he took over his native pub to have fun a monumental win final weekend.
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Lucas Herbert got here from 4 pictures again to overrun Ripper GC teammate Cameron Smith on the NSW Open to win his first skilled occasion on dwelling soil and spark memorable celebrations.
The 28-year-old hails from the Victorian nation city of Bendigo which is a roughly 90-minute drive from Murray Downs the place the state open was performed, and he seized the chance to excessive tail dwelling with the trophy named after 1960 British Open champion Kel Nagle.
“My favorite pub in Bendigo, the Tysons Reef Resort, I texted them earlier than I had the trophy in my fingers to remain open tonight,” Herbert stated.
“It was fairly particular as a result of it was the primary time I had received and been again in Bendigo that night time. It was fairly cool, so I texted all of the boys and advised them they wanted to get there to have fun.
“There have been a number of acquainted faces within the pub with us that night time. Clearly, a number of of the boys had been at Murray Downs they usually made the trek again with us that night time to Bendigo.
“It was a fairly cool night, not loads of recollection on the finish of it.
“I’ve been telling everybody that I celebrated appropriately.”
Massive celebrations have grow to be half and parcel of having fun with life for Australia’s LIV golfers.
Herbert, Smith together with Marc Leishman and Matt Jones of the all-Australian LIV staff Ripper GC famously held a ‘Mad Monday’ to bask within the glory of successful LIV’s staff championship earlier this month.
They’re famend partiers with Smith going viral after successful The Open at St Andrews in 2022 for his guess that the Claret Jug matches two beers in it.
Herbert opted to take that method to the trophy that can sit proudly on his mantelpiece.
“I believe (the invoice) solely acquired to $800 or $900 however I don’t actually know what was charged,” he stated.
“The Kel Nagle Cup matches seven beers in it. As soon as that acquired crammed it, it was a fairly robust activity to get out.
“It’s not an awesome ingesting trophy, it’s acquired fairly flat edges so we wore a lot of the seven beers attempting to drink them out of the trophy.”
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Herbert is enjoying within the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in Brisbane this week, and talking to media on Wednesday he outlined simply how a lot successful on his dwelling tour meant.
He pocketed $136,515.79 for his efforts on the opposite facet of the Murray River to the Victorian city of Swan Hill.
It pales compared to the roughly $9 million in prize cash he earned on the LIV circuit this yr, however Herbert expressed that honour, and status is extra essential when teeing it up in Australia.
“It wasn’t till I acquired midway dwelling, and I acquired a textual content from the PGA that I discovered how a lot cash I’d received as a result of it didn’t imply something,” Herbert stated.
“It was extra about successful a match, getting your fingers on a trophy, proving to your self that you might beat somebody like Cam (Smith) and a few of these guys who’re enjoying rather well from the Australasian tour.
“It positively meant rather a lot to me, and I do know the sentiments I had down the stretch had been similar to the sentiments I’ve had at huge tournaments around the globe as nicely.”
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It was fairly the turnaround after he felt the rust throughout his apply rounds from not having performed for eight weeks.
“I used to be telling my girlfriend to in all probability not trouble coming down for the weekend as a result of I used to be enjoying that badly,” Herbert stated with fun.
The motivation to profit from his time at dwelling was too sturdy, nonetheless.
The Victorian – whose world rating peaked at 40 – performed just one main, the US PGA Championship, this yr, and subsequent week’s Australian Open gives a spot at subsequent yr’s Open Championship for the highest three finishers, who not already exempt.
Clearly, any golfer desires to play on the game’s largest stage however Herbert’s reasonings should not fully egocentric.
His time on LIV enjoying staff golf has given him a broader perspective – he even in contrast studying from Smith to having Nick Daicos, Christian Petracca and Marcus Bontempelli in your staff.
He’s taking a look at Australian golf with a keener eye and has watched eagerly as Australian golf has benefited from the likes of Smith, Minjee Lee and Hannah Inexperienced successful majors lately.
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He desires to step up and contribute extra too.
“The affect of enjoying in these main championships, successful them, enjoying nicely, having success finally had a big effect on Australian golf,” Herbert stated.
“I take a look at the affect Cam successful The Open in 2022 had on Australian golf. It appears like golf has not been ready this good in a very long time.
“You take a look at occasions like LIV Adelaide with how many individuals there, the thrill round these two weeks and the way a lot it means.
“I take a look at driving ranges throughout the nation they usually’re all packed at varied random occasions all through the day. It looks like golf is prospering in Australia.
“Finally us enjoying nicely in these main championships has that affect and that’s what it’s type of boiled again to.
“If I took away the egocentric factor of eager to win and take a look at the broader affect I can have on the Australian neighborhood in a golf sense, it’s huge.”
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Herbert’s entry to the majors is proscribed by being a LIV participant however the scenario stays unclear with the potential PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger effervescent away within the background.
LIV gamers will probably be eligible for the US PGA Championship subsequent yr, however in any other case if the panorama doesn’t change, he’s dedicated to discovering a means in.
“I do know there’s an avenue via subsequent week with the Australian Open with the Order of Benefit in Australia, I consider there’s some exemptions there as nicely and then you definitely’ve acquired the 36-hole qualifiers as nicely,” Herbert stated.
“So, I’ll be doing the whole lot I can to try to give myself a great probability to qualify for these as a result of they’re nonetheless fairly essential in my life.”