Bendigo's Lucas Herbert is set for a start this week in one of golf's four major tournaments, the US Open.
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It isn't the first time the Neangar Park product has been in the field at the major, but it marks his first time taking on the endless challenges which the par-70 Winged Foot Golf Club dishes up for the world's best players.
Herbert will tee off in the first round in an all Australian group alongside amateur Lukas Michel and seasoned professional Matt Jones at 2.32AM AEST. on Friday.
It's a long course, with thick rough and fast greens, a test which Herbert and Michel are ready for.
"That's how I want it to be. I prefer it to be too hard than too easy," Herbert said.
"It's going to be long and it's a place where you're going to need to drive the ball well, which is a strength of mine.
"There's going to be a lot of long irons into greens, which again plays into one of my strengths.
"You don't get slow greens at a US Open, so heading into the tournament I hope they make it as hard as possible, so that we get a true test to find the best player in the world."
Australians have a good history at the club, as it's where Geoff Ogilvy secured victory in the 2006 US Open with a one-stroke lead (five-over par) over Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie.
"It's slightly more stressful because you know how hard it is to score pars even on certain holes. They've added length since Geoff won, it's going to be tough," Michel told NCA NewsWire.
"I walked the front nine and thought 'it's not too bad', but then playing, and seeing how much that rough grabs your club, it's going to be tough.
"You know some of the par fours will average close to five because they are 520 yards, par fives converted to par fours. It's more a mental exercise than a physical one.
"Someone will have to play really well to go under par."
In total nine Australians are in the field: Herbert, Michel, Jones, Cameron Smith, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Scott Hend, Curtis Luck and Marc Leishman.
In other golf news, the 2020 Australian PGA Championship scheduled to be played in Queensland in December has been postponed by a few months and will now be held from 18-21 February in 2021.
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