Fresh if not slightly sore from Sunday night’s celebrations in Bendigo after his NSW Open triumph at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club, Herbert arrives at Royal Queensland Golf Club second on the Order of Merit.

The 28-year-old will play this week, next week’s ISPS HANDA Australian Open and the Webex Players Series Murray River event early in the new year.

Four events will qualify Herbert for the Order of Merit and all the trappings that come with a top-three finish, not least of which is an exemption into The Open Championship for the Order of Merit winner.

The past two Order of Merit winners – David Micheluzzi and Kazuma Kobori – have also received exemptions into the US PGA Championship, going halfway towards Herbert’s goal of playing more major championships.

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Now an integral member of Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC team on LIV Golf, Herbert played just one major in 2024 – the US PGA – and sees his home tour as a legitimate pathway to playing more of the game’s showpiece events.

“I think I’ve got a really good opportunity to finish a long way up in that Order of Merit and reap the benefits that come from that,” said Herbert, who has been grouped with French star Victor Perez and fellow PGA TOUR winner Cam Davis for rounds one and two at RQ.

“It’s just a long way to go, only one event in. Just got to focus on my stuff and playing well, and I think the rest will probably take care of itself.

“That is the advantage of coming back and playing in Australia. We have some good pathways through the Australian tour to get to some of these bigger events, bigger tours.

“Hopefully it all goes well and it’s something that I can use.”

Fuelled by the response from the response that Adam Scott, Jason Day and Smith have received from Australian fans after major championship success, Herbert knows the impact playing well in majors has on the game at home.

He emerged as the emotional lightning rod in Ripper GC’s team championship win this year, his love of the arena encapsulated with a new nickname of ‘Gladiator’.

The Victorian took the bit between the teeth in difficult conditions to run down Smith a week ago and wants to influence the game in the way other Australian major champions have done.

“The impact of playing in those major championships – winning them, playing well – ultimately had a big impact on Australian golf,” said Herbert.

“I look at the impact Cam’s had from winning The Open Championship in 2022. It feels like golf has not been in a position this good in a long time.

“We’ve got so many people playing the game. You look at events like LIV Adelaide last year with how many people are there. You look at the buzz around these two weeks, how much it means in Australia.

“I look at driving ranges around the country, they’re all packed at various random times throughout the day. It seems like golf is thriving incredibly in Australia and us playing well in those major championships ultimately has that impact on Australia.”