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Lucas Herbert has wrestled back control of his own destiny at the majors in between a brilliant playoff birdie, gyoza feasts, his new samurai helmet and a nod to the late Shane Warne.
The spin-offs to his victory on Sunday at the ISPS HANDA Championship in Japan go well beyond the nerveless skill to win at the second extra hole.
His jump from No.59 to No.42 in the Official World Golf Ranking has put him comfortably inside the top 50 status he must maintain in early June to earn a start at The Open at Royal Liverpool in July.
It’s also further proof that when the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal rolls around, the driven Victorian doesn’t plan to be begging for a captain’s pick.
“It sucked watching The Masters on TV. I feel I’m at the point where I want my career defined by how I go in the majors,” Herbert said in Japan.
Going birdie for birdie with recent world No.1 Rory McIlroy in a top-quality Round of 16 clash at last month’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Texas also reaffirmed that ambition.
“I want to do that more often. I want to be inside that top 50 purely for the competition against the best in the world,” Herbert said.
It stung missing out on one of Trevor Immelman’s captain’s picks for last year’s Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow in the US.
The rankings haven’t even begun for next year’s event but Herbert wants his game to dictate an easy conversation.
“I’d like to be having conversations with (new captain) Mike Weir about what I can do to make the team stronger rather than begging for a spot as a captain’s pick. Obviously, that didn’t go well for me last time,” Herbert said.
Herbert’s pro wins in Dubai, Ireland, Bermuda and now Japan reflect a player who sees a world of opportunities in the game… and he’s not about to stop.
He’s jumped to fourth spot in the Race to Dubai because the ISPS HANDA Championship was the first DP World Tour event staged in Japan.
“It’s a good time in golf to be a good golfer. While I’m in my 20s, at least, I want to be playing around the world,” Herbert said.
“I like playing a world schedule. You can pick out a lot of events you really like going to. It might be that you like the golf course, the feel of the tournament and the food.
“I found a gyoza restaurant that’s legit in Japan and kept going back.”
The stellar 110-metre sand wedge from a tilted, dirty lie by the treeline to set up his birdie on the second playoff hole was a shot for his career highlights reel.
Ask him why he plays with a TaylorMade ball numbered 23, and the showman within him becomes clear.
“If you could ever channel anyone who wears the number 23 in sports, whether it’s Michael Jordan, LeBron James, David Beckham or an Australian hero, Shane Warne, that’s enough reason to use it,” Herbert said with a smile.
In Japan, this wedge was Herbert’s prayer ball on the buzzer or his heavily spun leg break on the final ball of the day for a wicket.
Herbert, 27, found a comfort between the tall timber that lined the fairways at the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGM Ishioka Golf Club, north-east of Tokyo.
By the judgement of caddie Nick Pugh, Herbert has never driven the ball better than he did this past week. He hit 78 per cent of fairways.
“He’s got a great personality for the game. He knows when to be serious and concentrate out there and when to have a laugh,” Pugh offered.
For Herbert, a week of 20 birdies and an eagle was just as strong because of the six pars to finish his final round of three-under-par 67.
“There was a lot to be proud of out there with making those tricky six and seven-footers for par down the stretch,” Herbert said.
“That solidified in the minds of the guys behind me that they had to come get me because it was not me coming back to them.”
Herbert has only this year joined the stable of ambassadors for Dr Haruhisa Handa, who is chairman of ISPS HANDA which is also the naming rights partner of the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Dr Handa’s work to use the power of sport to bring people together and break down barriers was demonstrated in Japan with the invitation to play for Ireland’s Brendan Lawlor (81-77), a star in the All Abilities at last year’s Australian Open in Melbourne.
The International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS HANDA) chipped in $US1,000 for every eagle to disabled golf’s G4D Tour. That became a $40,000 windfall by Sunday.
