LIV Golf star Lucas Herbert has develop into the newest large title to decide to the upcoming Australian Open, and hinted at extra of his colleagues becoming a member of him at Royal Melbourne this December.
Herbert, who completed in a tie for fifth at Kingston Heath final yr, joins Masters champion Rory McIlroy, his Ripper GC teammates Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, former world No.1 Adam Scott, Presidents Cup gamers Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis, in addition to PGA Tour participant Ryan Fox of New Zealand as confirmed starters for the nationwide open that he stated “might be one for the ages”.
Smith, Lee and Fox have been all but to decide to doing the Australian double, initially confirming their place on the Australian PGA at Royal Queensland solely, however the trio have now introduced they may all head to Melbourne the next week too.
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As well as, Herbert believes the Australian Open subject will develop into much more star-studded within the coming months, revealing he has spoken to a number of different LIV gamers about doubtlessly making a second journey down beneath for the yr.
“I can’t throw any names out, I’m not a breaking information journalist,” Herbert informed Australian reporters with fun.
“However from what I can learn between the traces, it was a matter of how we do get these guys into the tournaments? Moderately than how will we get them to come back down?
“So, there have been a variety of very promising conversations that I used to be listening to.
“I didn’t do a variety of promoting of the match,” he continued.
“Guys know the standard of the golf course, the standard of the occasion, the names on the trophy.
“Clearly a Masters and an Open invitation now for the winner, so these guys are chomping on the bit to get down there.
“I hope that the fellows that I spoke to are in a position to get into these occasions and are available down and see how good Sandbelt golf is for themselves.”
A ticket to Augusta and Royal Birkdale subsequent yr is a big carrot to dangle in entrance of LIV golfers who don’t have exemptions into the majors.
The Open not less than presents anybody the possibility to play qualifying match, however The Masters is a comparatively closed store with Augusta Nationwide solely handing out invitations.
The possibility to realize entry, in addition to Royal Melbourne internet hosting for the primary time since 1991, has Herbert satisfied the sector for this yr’s occasion will likely be up there with when Australia hosted the Presidents Cup in latest instances.
“I feel it might be one for the ages,” Herbert stated.
“We’ve all the time executed properly with Aussie Opens after we’ve had Presidents Cups in Australia, 2011 and 2019.
“They’ve all the time sort of handballed us an excellent subject, however I feel outdoors of that, this could be one of many higher fields I’ve seen for an Australian Open prior to now, kind of, 20 years.
“If I take myself out of it, and put my golf fan hat on for a second, it’s fairly cool to see these guys come down and play, and somebody like Rory taking the sport extra globally than what he has executed possibly beforehand.
“He has performed out in Australia earlier than, I’m not going to jot down that off, however within the final couple of years, and his schedule subsequent yr, and the next yr, he positively desires to play extra globally, which is nice.
“I feel we’ve seen the success of LIV Adelaide in Australia and the impression that’s had on golf in Australia, so our nationwide open can kind of be aside of that now, and we’re having a few of these world class gamers come down and play.”
Herbert additionally stated that he believes the transfer to make the match stand-alone once more was mandatory to draw prime expertise.
For 3 years following the Covid-19 pandemic interruption, the lads’s and ladies’s Australian Opens have been held on the identical course on the similar time.
It was closely criticised by the gamers, notably by Cameron Smith at Kingston Heath final yr, with considerations about course arrange, tee instances and the timing of the occasion among the many many points raised by gamers.
“It was difficult. I can actually empathise with what they have been making an attempt to do,” Herbert stated.
“I can see the view that they in all probability had, however it’s simply so arduous to get it proper.”
He added: “It’s actually powerful to search out golf programs that work for each the lads and the ladies as a result of inevitably you’re going to get individuals evaluating the scores within the males’s occasion versus the ladies’s occasion.
“For me, personally, they’re simply two totally different kinds of golf.
“I feel girls’s golf shouldn’t be put towards males’s golf – positively not on the identical golf course in the identical week.
“I simply don’t assume the take a look at is honest to check them in the identical methods as a result of girls have totally different strengths and totally different weaknesses from us.”
For Herbert, he’s absolutely centered on profitable a maiden nationwide title to earn his place at Augusta and Birkdale, and put his title alongside most of the sport’s best names on the Stonehaven Cup.
The 29-year-old loved a powerful yr, profitable the Asian Tour’s Worldwide Sequence Japan occasion in Might, in addition to boasting three prime 5 finishes within the first six LIV tournaments of the season.
He additionally got here by means of qualifying to play The Open at Royal Portrush, though he missed the reduce.
It was a part of a stretch the place his recreation dropped away, coming no higher than tied twenty fifth in a single occasion within the again half of the LIV season.
Herbert is now hoping {that a} strong break coupled with two tournaments earlier than the Australian Open will give him a powerful lead in.
He’ll play the Australian PGA in Brisbane the week prior, however in November, he will even head to the Hunter Valley to defend his NSW Open crown.
For Herbert’s sake, it is going to hopefully function best preparation earlier than tackling a course he’s properly versed in.
Born and raised in Bendigo, Herbert would usually make the trek right down to town for junior, novice and membership competitions at Royal Melbourne.
He even lied about his age to volunteer on the 2011 Presidents Cup, telling organisers he was 16 when he was nonetheless 15 with a purpose to carry a scoreboard across the hallowed turf.
In was then that he requested his now LIV colleague Phil Mickelson for an autograph, solely to be shut down by the six-time main winner.
Herbert raised the story with him after they performed collectively on the 2022 Open at St Andrews with Mickelson giving him a signed glove as an apology, and says the proof might be discovered on a YouTube video, replaying your entire protection of the Sunday singles.
This outing he desires to make happier recollections at Royal Melbourne, and in flip, return to Augusta for the second time in his profession after lacking the reduce on debut in 2022.
“It’s enormous,” Herbert stated of the exemptions on provide.
“For us, it’s a reasonably clear pathway now.
“Should you went again three months, I’d in all probability mentally written off many probabilities to play a Masters once more.
“Simply because it was powerful to know the way it was ever going to play out with exemptions, and the way the inexperienced jackets would have a look at us, and over time how issues have modified.
“Clearly now there’s a a lot clearer pathway for us to have the ability to tee it up there in April.
“It’s very, very thrilling and it kind of offers me chills eager about holding an Aussie Open trophy on Sunday of the match, and figuring out I’ve acquired a spot in The Masters and The Open off the again of it, that’s just about {golfing} mecca for an Aussie participant, I feel.”