Victorian golfer Lucas Herbert has secured a spot in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush after leading the Final Qualifying at West Lancashire. His 5-under 67 in the second round was two strokes better than his competitors, resulting in an 8-under par total over 36 holes. This performance earned him medallist honors by one stroke ahead of China’s Sampson Zheng.
Herbert was the only Australian among four qualifying venues to earn a place at The Open, scheduled for July 17-20. Sydney’s Kevin Yuan narrowly missed the playoff by one shot, despite making a birdie on his final hole. Other Australians competing included Queensland amateur Billy Dowling and Daniel Gale, who finished tied for 24th at Royal Cinque Ports.
Lucas Herbert’s last major championship appearance was at the 2024 US PGA Championship after missing the cut at the 2023 Open Championship. As the reigning Ford NSW Open champion and a successful competitor on the Asian Tour this year, Herbert expressed enthusiasm about returning to major championship golf.
“I’m super excited to be going to Portrush. I love playing in The Open,” said Herbert. He reflected on his past challenges with qualification and expressed relief and excitement about joining fellow Australians such as Jason Day and Cameron Smith.
Herbert’s qualification brings the number of Australians participating in The Open to nine, including well-known players like Adam Scott and Marc Leishman.
