BAY HILL, Florida – Lucas Herbert says he is ready for a debut at the Players Championship after a stunning final round in brutal conditions at the Arnold Palmer Invitational catapulted him up the leaderboard and secured more than $US300,000 ($A407,000) in extra prizemoney.
Herbert began the final round at the prestigious Palmer tournament in a share of 33rd but a red-hot 68 rocketed the Australian to a two-under-par total at Florida’s Bay Hill course.
With play still underway, Herbert is all but guaranteed to not only hold onto his place inside the top 10 but also bag a six-figure boost to his Palmer tournament paycheque.
Playing with fellow Australian Scott, Herbert rattled off three birdies in his first four holes before two bogeys early on the back nine stalled his charge.
But Herbert bounced back with a birdie at the 15th before draining a 52-foot eagle putt at the par-5 16th.
His 68 is in the clubhouse for the low round of the day with the majority of scores sliding in tough, dry and windy conditions in Orlando.
Herbert said Bay Hill was his biggest examination on the PGA Tour despite winning his first event on the main US circuit at the Bermuda Championship in November.
“It’s extremely satisfying; this was the first time I’ve played this level golf on a Sunday at a really tough course on the PGA Tour,” Herbert told Australian Golf Digest. “Winning in Bermuda was great but it wasn’t Bay Hill on a Sunday with gnarly rough and fast greens as well as wind.”
Herbert will make his debut at the Players at TPC Sawgrass later this week, the PGA Tour’s flagship event and one considered the unofficial fifth major.
His top-10 finish at Bay Hill could not have come at a better time given the Players will be followed by Herbert’s debut at the Masters in April.
“The Players is a great event and I’m looking forward to finally playing it” he told AGD. “It’s another PGA Tour tournament but it’s extremely iconic; everyone who has watched it on TV wants to feel what it’s like to hit that shot on 17 at TPC Sawgrass and it’s a championship you want to play well in.”
Herbert said playing well in front of Adam Scott was a motivation given he is a Presidents Cup stalwart who is also close friends with International team captain Trevor Immelman.
Herbert, currently 23rd on the International team standings, has work to do to get on the 12-man team through qualification (eight spots) or a captain’s pick (four players).
Herbert hadn’t played golf with Scott since the pair were a part of an impromptu tour of cash games among professionals on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Adam came back to Australia in March 2020 a few of the guys – Senior Tour players and regular tour players – kind of started our own tour; it wasn’t quite at the Saudi level,” Hebert joked, referring to the rich, Saudi-funded proposal for a global golf tour. “But we were throwing in 100 bucks each and playing for a pool.”
Herbert was the lone Australian to finish the Palmer event under par and inside the top 10. Adam Scott (74) was next best of the Australians at four over while Matt Jones (75) was eight over. Marc Leishman, the 2017 Palmer champion, was 11 over after a 78.
The post Lucas Herbert ROCKETS up Arnold Palmer leaderboard with stunning final round appeared first on New Zealand Golf Digest.