The 2026 Open featured some surprise names near the top of the leaderboard over the first two rounds.
One was Jackson Suber, who led the way after 18 holes, before another player yet to make his mark at a Major, Lucas Herbert, took his place following a brilliant 62 in the second round at Royal Birkdale.
Given his career and recent form, perhaps it shouldn’t come as such a surprise that Herbert took proceedings by the scruff of the neck, though.
Herbert has been a professional for 11 years, but the groundwork was laid well before he left the amateur game behind in 2015.
The 30-year-old was born near Victoria, Australia, and it didn’t take him long to develop a fascination with the game, picking up his first club at the age of three before going on to play junior golf at Neangar Park Golf Club and Commonwealth Golf Club.
One of the highlights of his amateur career came just a year before he turned pro, when he represented his country in the Eisenhower Trophy.
There, he finished with the joint-second-best individual score, three strokes behind none other than Jon Rahm.
All the signs were that Herbert was set for a solid career in the game, and so it has proved.
After a spell on the PGA Tour of Australasia to begin life in the professional ranks, he graduated to the DP World Tour in 2018 via sponsor exemptions.
Titles soon began to come his way, beginning with one of the biggest events on the circuit, the Dubai Desert Classic, which Herbert won in 2020.
Two more DP World Tour wins followed, while he also claimed a maiden PGA Tour win in 2021, beating Danny Lee and Patrick Reed by one at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
In 2024, LIV Golf came calling, with Herbert linking up with 2022 Open winner Cameron Smith as part of the all-Australian Ripper GC team.
Another big win came in 2025, when Herbert won the Asian Tour’s prestigious International Series Japan, further cementing the notion that he can be a man for the big occasion.
Finally, just two months before teeing it up at Royal Birkdale, he claimed his first LIV Golf title, beating Sergio Garcia by four shots in Virginia with the help of his long-time caddie Nick Pugh, the latest indication that he was ready to shine on one of the biggest stages of all.
Lucas Herbert Facts
1. Lucas Herbert was born on December 5, 1995 in Bendigo, Australia.
2. He represented Australia in the 2014 Eisenhower Trophy and finished with the joint-second-best individual score, three strokes behind Jon Rahm.
3. Herbert turned professional at the end of 2015 and began on the PGA Tour of Australasia. He has also played on the DP World Tour, the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour. In 2024, he joined LIV Golf.
4. His first DP World Tour title came at the 2020 Dubai Desert Classic. Herbert defeated Christiaan Bezuidenhout in a playoff. He won his second DP World Tour title at the 2021 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, going wire-to-wire. His third was at the 2023 ISPS Handa Championship in Japan.
5. Other big wins in Herbert's professional career include the 2025 International Series Japan and the 2026 LIV Golf Virginia, where he beat Sergio Garcia by four shots.
6. In his first LIV Golf season, Herbert helped his Ripper GC team win the Team Championship title.
7. Before the 2026 Open, his best finish at a Major was T13 at the 2022 PGA Championship.
8. Herbert is a supporter of Aussie Rules side, Western Bulldogs, who play in Melbourne.
Lucas Herbert Bio
Born |
December 5, 1995 - Bendigo, Victoria, Australia |
Height |
6ft 2in (1.88 m) |
Former Tours |
PGA Tour |
Current Tour |
LIV Golf, DP World Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia |
Professional Wins |
7 |
Highest OWGR |
40th |
Lucas Herbert Pro Wins
Tour |
Event |
Winning Score |
DP World Tour |
2020 Dubai Desert Classic |
-9 (playoff - Christiaan Bezuidenhout) |
DP World Tour |
2021 Irish Open |
-19 (three strokes) |
PGA Tour |
2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship |
-15 (one stroke) |
DP World Tour |
2023 ISPS Handa Championship in Japan |
-15 (playoff - Aaron Cockerill) |
PGA Tour of Australasia |
2024 Ford NSW Open |
-15 (three strokes) |
Asian Tour |
2025 International Series Japan |
-20 (five strokes) |
LIV Golf |
2026 LIV Golf Virginia |
-24 (four strokes) |
