A PLACE in the US Masters at Augusta is the prize Lucas Herbert will chase when he tees up in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships at Royal Melbourne next month.
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Herbert is one of 10 Australians to be invited to play in the prestigious event, which will be played from October 23-26.
The winner earns a place at Augusta next year and the opportunity to qualify for the 2015 British Open at St Andrew’s.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur is a 72-hole stroke play event and attracts 120 of the best amateur players in the world.
The tournament launched the career of China’s Guan Tianlang, who won the 2012 title and earned a berth in the 2013 US Masters as a 14-year-old.
Tianlang will be one of the headline acts at Royal Melbourne. South Korea’s Gunn Yang will also command plenty of attention having won this year’s US Amateur Championship.
Herbert finished tied for third in last year’s Asian-Pacific Amateur.
The 18-year-old is in great form, having finished tied for second in the individual event at the recent Eisenhower Cup in Japan.
The Neangar Park product is still in Japan where he’ll this week tee-off against the professionals in the $1.5 million Asia Pacific Diamond Cup.
Herbert will play in one of the feature groups in the opening two rounds. Herbert has been grouped with Japanese tour order of merit leader Koumei Oda and two-time professional winner Yoshinori Fujimoto.
The field includes US PGA Championship winner Y. E Yang, Japanese young gun Ryo Ishikawa and highly-rated Australian Brendan Jones.
Meanwhile, Bendigo professional Andrew Martin starts his European Tour qualifying school campaign in London on September 30. Kris Mueck last week failed to qualify for the second stage.