HERBERT SEIZING MAJOR CHANCE WITH US OPEN
AUSTRALIAN golfer Lucas Herbert may be the first player to qualify for the US Open while wearing floral shorts.
When the 23-year-old from Bendigo got to the Portland club in Oregon on Monday there was no breakfast to be found either.
He’d had five hours sleep, after making the seven-hour drive from Vancouver with caddie Craig Grigson to the course, and his playing partners in the qualifying event for the year’s second major were both wearing pants.
Herbert had been playing in Canada, part of a world golfing tour that included starts in Australia, Asia and Europe.
It had been going well too, after finishing third for the second time this year in a European Tour event in Italy in May to continue his rise up the world rankings.
He had already secured a spot in the British Open at Carnoustie too, via a top 10 finish in Singapore in January.
So he wasn’t completely surprised when he powered to rounds of 66 and 63 in 36 qualifying holes on the Portland course to secure his major championship debut.
Tonight at Shinnecock Hills in New York, Herbert will compete in the US Open with the best players in the world for a share of $15 million prizemoney.
“As cool as it is, I still have a lot of work to do,” Herbert said.
“An opportunity has come knocking at the door and I really have to take advantage of it.”