Herbert shares 4th in LIV Golf season opener
Lucas Herbert in action during the final round – image LiV Golf
Lucas Herbert has finished 4th at the Liv Golf Riyadh event in Saudi Arabia, the Victorian recovering from a slow start to his final round to secure a share of 4th and, in doing so, earned a massive US$900,000.
Herbert began the third and final round in 3rd place but although at even par by the turn, a double bogey at the 10th threatened a good finish to the opening event of the Liv Golf season.
Herbert, though, would put together a strong finish to the playing a stretch of five holes in 5 under through the latter stages of the closing nine to finish at 14 under and three from the winner, Adrian Meronk.
A bogey at his final hole would prove costly for Herbert as he missed out on sharing second place with Jon Rahm and Sebastian Munoz which would have earned him another US$700,000 but it was nonetheless a very positive start to the season for the 29-year-old.
At this stage, Herbert is scheduled to play the New Zealand Open in late February in an attempt to secure the top spot on the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit and this early indication of form in 2025, and that he finished runner-up at Millbrook a few years ago, suggests he will be hard to beat in Queenstown.
Having played the Australian Open and PGA Championships and the NSW Open, which he won, Herbert is currently in 3rd place on the Order of Merit behind Elvis Smylie and Cam Smith, but with Smylie and Smith not entered for the NZ Open, then Herbert has an opportunity to take the title with a win.
Of the other Australasian playing in Riyadh, Marc Leishman shared 13th and earned US$534,000, Ben Campbell playing his first event as a team member finished in a share of 15th and earned US$295,000, Cam Smith was 25th and Danny Lee and Matt Jones shared 33rd.
Liv Golf now heads to Adelaide for the second event of the season starting this Friday.
