Herbert was looking for a new coach to take his game to the next level and had been given Azzopardi's name.

"I remember spending a few hours with him over in Ballarat on a Tuesday night," Azzopardi said.

"Obviously I was incredibly impressed with his swing and from that day on we spoke the same language.

"Looking back on the journey to where we are now has been incredibly rewarding for us both."

From an afternoon on the range in regional Victoria to the world's stage, the pair have been through plenty together on the course.

"To see him win in Ireland makes me so proud of what we've been able to achieve as a team, especially now with Nick Pugh on the bag and Jamie Glazier's involvement for the past five years," Azzopardi said.

"People don't realise how much work goes on behind the scenes. What's not seen is all of us knuckling down and working our butts off.

"The win in Ireland was a proud moment for all of us, especially to hear him talk about the low-point he was at two years ago while playing that same tournament and to come back and win it."

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Herbert's recent stint in Europe included a win at the Irish Open, T4 at the Scottish Open but ended with a missed cut at the British Open.

"In some ways golfers expect these finishes as the week before Ireland he played an event on the PGA Tour (Travelers Championship)...so to play four in a row can be very difficult both mentally and physically," Azzopardi said.

"He's now back in the US and is preparing for the 3M Open this week.

"He didn't touch a club on Monday but was straight back into it on Tuesday with more energy and mentally reinvigorated."

The 25-year-old will tee up in the tournament held at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota on Friday morning at 3am AEST alongside Kyle Stanley and Josh Teater.

The par-72 course was designed by Arnold Palmer and features plenty of water, bunkers and tricky tee shots which put the best to the test.

The field includes several top-50 players: Dustin Johnson (2), Patrick Reed (13), Louis Oosthuizen, Tony Finau (19),Corey Conners (36), defending champion Matthew Wolff (38), Stewart Cink (42), Robert MacIntyre (48) and Herbert (50).

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