Lucas Herbert’s dream of winning the biggest golf tournament on Australian soil didn’t come to fruition, but the experience of the past two days will make him a better player.
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Herbert was forced to settle for a tie for sixth at the Australian Golf Club behind winner Cameron Davis.
The Neangar Park product looked bitterly disappointed, but he could be proud of the way he played and carried himself over the weekend.
Herbert was paired with former world number one Jason Day on Saturday and Sunday and was only outscored by two shots over 36 holes.
For much of Sunday’s final round it was Herbert who outplayed Day.
After seven holes of the final round, Herbert led the field by two shots and the 21-year-old looked capable of upstaging Day and adding his name to the Stonehaven Cup.
The final 11 holes didn’t follow Herbert’s script.
Bogeys on the eighth and 11th followed by a double-bogey on the 13th saw him tumble from 12-under to eight-under and from the hunted to the hunter.
With his confidence knocked, Herbert missed a golden opportunity to make a birdie on the par-five 14th and the final nail in his title coffin was a bogey on the 17th.
The back nine bogeys also cost Herbert a berth in next year’s British Open. The top three at the Australian Open earned automatic qualification for the major at Carnoustie.
It might be seen as a missed opportunity, but if you had have offered Herbert tied for sixth and a cheque for $42,500 at the start of the week he would have taken it.
“I probably got fairly tired there towards the end, which was a struggle and I sort of had a bit of a funny feeling in the stomach there later in the round,’’ Herbert said.
“But I was really proud of the way I held it out and I guess didn’t throw it in.’’
He also earned some high praise from Jason Day at the completion of third round.
“Pretty impressive,’’ Day said of Herbert.
“The way he played today, he showed a lot of maturity within himself. Great short game. He just needs to get the reps under his belt.”
Meanwhile, fellow Bendigo professional Andrew Martin had a solid week at the Open.
Martin finished equal 24th at even-par after rounds of 68, 74, 71 and 71.
