36-hole leader over Smith, Herbert carded a blemish-free 6-under 65 to sit atop the leaderboard at 12-under in his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia start of this Summer, with Smith solo second at 10-under.

In a frustrating day in the heat combatting flies, Smith still managed a 3-under 68 today, but did not look his usual self, especially on his closing holes.

Four players are within reach at 9-under tied for third, with Josh Geary, Matias Sanchez, Corey Lamb and Dillon Hart all nipping at the heels of the two men at the top.

Geary, who had a 6-under 65 today including two eagles, will be joining Herbert and Smith in the final group tomorrow, the Kiwi no stranger to playing with the world’s best, his tied third finish in his home open earlier this year his most recent result.

With Smith continuing to make birdies today, he was able to hold onto his one-shot overnight lead for the majority of the round, even with Herbert finding another gear today.

In an incredible change of momentum however, Smith’s wayward drive and resulting bogey on the par-5 16^th gave Herbert just the opportunity he needed to overtake. And take the opportunity he did.

Pouring in a long downhill eagle putt, to the delight of the packed hospitality tent behind the green, Herbert suddenly found himself with a two-shot lead with two holes to play on Friday, a lead he would not give up.

“I think he (Smith) was probably grinding a little bit there on the back nine and it did feel like somewhat of a match play situation,” said Herbert.

“I missed one on nine that I was kind of frustrated with because it was a bad putt, and I don’t really hit bad putts.

“It was a bit of a kick in the ass though and got things into gear for the back nine. Got a little lucky there a couple of times and made some nice putts when I needed to as well.”

With a potential showdown with Smith on the cards for Sunday, Herbert is relishing the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the 2022 Open Champion.

“I hope we both play really well tomorrow, break away from the field and it becomes a shootout. Push each other to play the golf,” he said.

“Whether I win or lose, I’ll learn a hell of a lot and it’ll be a hell of a lot of fun.”

Two players who uncharacteristically find themselves in the final few groups on Saturday, tied with each other for seventh at 8-under, are Alexander Simpson and Brett Drewitt.

Their reasons for not appearing in weekend  feature groups on this Tour vary greatly however. Drewitt because he has carved out a career in the US between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour, Simpson because he doesn’t play much Tour golf at all.

Having pre-qualified for the Ford NSW Open at Club Barham on Monday, Simpson mainly features on the adidas Pro-Am series, the 41-year-old just happy to be playing well.

“I don’t sort of tend to get too far ahead of myself,” said Simpson “Yeah, I’ve been playing nicely coming into the week, but mostly without any sort of putts falling.

“Fortunately, that sort of turned around the last few days so that’s been good.”

Teeing off minutes before the likes of Smith and Herbert is a thrill for many of the guys on Tour, and Simpson is looking forward to a weekend he’ll never forget.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool really isn’t it?”, he said.

“It’s funny, I’m happy with how I played but yeah, I hadn’t considered any of that until I went into town, grabbed some lunch and just thought, ‘yeah, it’s cool'”. “

While it might not be everyday Simpson plays alongside a major champion, it is something that Drewitt feels extremely comfortable with and he’ll not be in awe of neither the Ripper GC teammates nor the crowds on the weekend.

“I’d say it gives you a little bit more confidence,” he said of his experience in the US. “I’ve played against some very strong fields, I’ve played with (Rory) McIlroy, I’ve played with Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffle.

“I’ve played with all those guys, so I know what it’s like out there, and coming back home here, just knowing that I can compete with those guys over there as well gives me a boost of confidence.”

The only thing that may hinder Drewitt over the weekend is his lack of reps in recent weeks, the Sydneysider taking some time off towards the end of the year.

“Legs are a little sore. It’s been a while since I played, so walking around the course and stuff is harder than usual,” he said.

“It’s one reason why I came back, come back, just remember where I’m from, obviously see my parents and all that kind of stuff, but it’s just a nice way to hopefully build some momentum going into next year.”

Photo: Golf NSW