Golf in Asia: Aussie Herbert seals Asian Tour win with final-hole heroics

The Star

11-05-2025

TOKYO (AFP): Australia's Lucas Herbert eagled the last hole for the second day in a row to claim his first title on the Asian Tour by five strokes in Japan on Sunday.
The 29-year-old, who plays on the LIV Golf circuit, established a dominant lead at International Series Japan and finished with a flourish on the par-5 18th.
Herbert finished 20-under-par overall to lift the trophy ahead of playing partners Song Young-han of South Korea and Japan's Yuta Sugiura.
The win moved him to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, as well as the International Series rankings.
"The way I've been playing this year, it's been building to get a win at some point," said Herbert, who has won once on the US PGA Tour.
"So it's nice to get it done here, especially in Japan which is one of my favourite places.
"It's nice to feel like some of the hard work that I put in has paid off," he added.
Herbert set himself up for the final day with an electric finish on Saturday, carding eagles on two of the final three holes to finish the round tied for the lead with Song and Sugiura.
The Australian birdied three of the opening five holes on Sunday to move into the lead and he never looked back.
Herbert closed the win out in style with a long, curving putt on the 18th.
"I was thinking about it down on the 18th green, that finish yesterday really set it up," he said.
"It would have been much tougher, I think, to play in the group in front, or maybe two groups in front, had I parred in and to try and come back from behind today." - AFP