Latest news with #RipperGC
West Australian
2 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Marc Leishman happy with how LIV tour prepares players for golf's four majors
Marc Leishman is adamant that playing on the LIV tour is good preparation for golf's four majors as he steels himself for the tough challenge of a US Open next week. For the first time since 2022, Leishman will compete in a major after qualifying for the tournament, which is being played at the Oakmont Country Club in Texas. It took Leishman 38 holes – including two playoff holes – in a single day earlier this week at Woodmont Country Club in Maryland to secure US Open qualification. 'It's an experience I'd probably rather not have to deal with … 38 holes in a day isn't the easiest, but I'm just happy to have it be worthwhile,' the 41-year-old Victorian said. 'Coming off a month off, get some competitive rounds under the belt and play under a little bit of pressure … I'm happy to gain some confidence out of it and hit some good shots when I really need to.' Before the US Open, Leishman will further hone his game in the LIV Golf Virginia event this week at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Critics of the 14-event LIV tour have suggested its three-round, no-cut, 54-hole format doesn't properly prepare players for the tough mental test of a four-round, 72-hole major. However, Leishman – who will join fellow Australians Cameron Smith, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis in the US Open field – disagreed. 'The way our schedule is set up actually lends itself to being able to prepared very well for the majors,' said Leishman, a member of LIV's Ripper GC team alongside Smith, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones. 'We're playing against great fields every single week on tough golf courses. Yes, it's 54 holes, but it puts a bit of pressure on that first round to get off to a good start because they are a little bit more of a sprint. 'We're still playing a lot of golf, away from tournaments, enjoying golf more, and when you are enjoying your golf and it's not so much of a grind, that lends itself to better play. 'I prepared for the (US Open) qualifier which I normally wouldn't have been able to do, I'd be preparing for other tournaments. 'I'm happy with the way the schedule is, and the way you can lead into majors. 'I want to test myself against the best players, and we do that in the LIV events. Yes, there are no cuts, but once you get to the end of the tournament and it's `I win or you win', you're not even thinking about that, all that stuff. 'You want to get yourself into that pressure cooker and test yourself under the most immense pressure and see if you can handle it. 'That's why I do it. Whether I'm playing the Victorian PGA or the LIV Miami (event,), I want to try to win.' And having won the LIV Miami event in April, Leishman was confident he could be among the US Open contenders next week. 'Golf's a funny game, and you need a lot of stuff to go right on the right weeks, particularly the major weeks,' he said. 'I've never treated them any different to the event I'm playing this week, or the Australian PGA, or whatever it might be, 'I just prepare the way I prepare, and hope that I've got my good stuff on the right week, and sometimes even if you do have your good stuff and you make the putts, and you get a couple of lucky breaks, someone can still go crazy and beat you. 'You need a lot of stuff to go right, but definitely I feel like my game is probably as good as it's ever been, my mindset is as good as it's ever been, and hopefully I can get the breaks and come out on top. 'It's a long tournament, there are a lot of unbelievable players, and I just hope I can give myself a chance to be in contention (in the fourth and final round) and test myself.'
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Marc Leishman happy with how LIV tour prepares players for golf's four majors
Marc Leishman is adamant that playing on the LIV tour is good preparation for golf's four majors as he steels himself for the tough challenge of a US Open next week. For the first time since 2022, Leishman will compete in a major after qualifying for the tournament, which is being played at the Oakmont Country Club in Texas. It took Leishman 38 holes – including two playoff holes – in a single day earlier this week at Woodmont Country Club in Maryland to secure US Open qualification. 'It's an experience I'd probably rather not have to deal with … 38 holes in a day isn't the easiest, but I'm just happy to have it be worthwhile,' the 41-year-old Victorian said. 'Coming off a month off, get some competitive rounds under the belt and play under a little bit of pressure … I'm happy to gain some confidence out of it and hit some good shots when I really need to.' Before the US Open, Leishman will further hone his game in the LIV Golf Virginia event this week at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Critics of the 14-event LIV tour have suggested its three-round, no-cut, 54-hole format doesn't properly prepare players for the tough mental test of a four-round, 72-hole major. However, Leishman – who will join fellow Australians Cameron Smith, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis in the US Open field – disagreed. 'The way our schedule is set up actually lends itself to being able to prepared very well for the majors,' said Leishman, a member of LIV's Ripper GC team alongside Smith, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones. 'We're playing against great fields every single week on tough golf courses. Yes, it's 54 holes, but it puts a bit of pressure on that first round to get off to a good start because they are a little bit more of a sprint. 'We're still playing a lot of golf, away from tournaments, enjoying golf more, and when you are enjoying your golf and it's not so much of a grind, that lends itself to better play. 'I prepared for the (US Open) qualifier which I normally wouldn't have been able to do, I'd be preparing for other tournaments. 'I'm happy with the way the schedule is, and the way you can lead into majors. 'I want to test myself against the best players, and we do that in the LIV events. Yes, there are no cuts, but once you get to the end of the tournament and it's `I win or you win', you're not even thinking about that, all that stuff. 'You want to get yourself into that pressure cooker and test yourself under the most immense pressure and see if you can handle it. 'That's why I do it. Whether I'm playing the Victorian PGA or the LIV Miami (event,), I want to try to win.' And having won the LIV Miami event in April, Leishman was confident he could be among the US Open contenders next week. 'Golf's a funny game, and you need a lot of stuff to go right on the right weeks, particularly the major weeks,' he said. 'I've never treated them any different to the event I'm playing this week, or the Australian PGA, or whatever it might be, 'I just prepare the way I prepare, and hope that I've got my good stuff on the right week, and sometimes even if you do have your good stuff and you make the putts, and you get a couple of lucky breaks, someone can still go crazy and beat you. 'You need a lot of stuff to go right, but definitely I feel like my game is probably as good as it's ever been, my mindset is as good as it's ever been, and hopefully I can get the breaks and come out on top. 'It's a long tournament, there are a lot of unbelievable players, and I just hope I can give myself a chance to be in contention (in the fourth and final round) and test myself.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eagle-eyed Herbert cruises to five-shot win in Japan
In-form Australian golf ace Lucas Herbert has soared to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit with a stylish runaway victory at the International Series Japan. As he does these days, Herbert the showman eagled the par-5 18th hole for the second day in a row to ice his remarkable five-shot triumph on Sunday. Victory clinched a maiden Asian Tour and International Series title for the 29-year-old at the par-71 Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba. Herbert closed with a seven-under-par 64 to reach 20 under for the week, daylight ahead of his playing partners, Japan's Yuta Sugiura and South Korean Younghan Song. Victory completed an incredible run by Herbert, who was five shots behind the leader with three holes to play in the third round. He engineered the 10-shot swing with two eagles in the last three holes on Saturday, followed by Sunday's 64 that included seven birdies and the eagle on the 18th. The Victorian's reward was a move to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, as well as the International Series rankings. It was also his first international victory in almost two years, since winning the 2023 ISPS Handa Championship, also in Japan. The Ripper GC star, who played a full season on the Asian Tour in 2016, started the day tied for the lead at 13 under alongside Sugiura and Song. The 33-year-old Song immediately moved ahead with an eagle on the second hole, but Herbert hunted him down with birdies on the second, fourth and fifth. Herbert made a bogey on the par-5 sixth and another at the 15th, but he was otherwise rock solid throughout and shut the door on the chasing pack. "I was thinking about it down on the 18th green, that finish yesterday really set it up,'' Herbert said. "Very happy with the way I played today, I think it was the low round of the day, so that's always going to make it hard to beat when you start the day tied for the lead." Lucas Herbert eagled the last for a final round of 64 to win the International Series Japan by 5 shots on 20 under par. Lucas has been playing some awesome golf and he's now got his first win of the should've been invited to the PGA! — Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) May 11, 2025 A second-hand putter he found at a thrift shop in Korea last week was smoking hot again as he completed the round in just 23 putts. But Herbert also credited a new driver he has been using this year. It has resulted in three top-10s on LIV Golf, where he is now fifth in the standings. "I've played really well this year, and I think the driver was a big part of this success,'' he said. "The way I've been playing this year, it's been building to get a win at some point. So, it's nice to get it done here, especially in Japan, which is one of my favourite places." Herbert is not wrong. He signalled he was trending towards this win when he closed with a record-equalling 10-under final round to finish runner-up at last month's LIV Golf Mexico City. American Cameron Tringale (66) rolled in a 15-foot eagle putt on the last to finish solo fourth at 14 under. International Series Japan was the third of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour calendar that form a pathway on to the LIV Golf League.
News.com.au
11-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
LIV star Lucas Herbert could jump 150 places on the rankings after a win in Japan
Winning events with world ranking points is the best way for LIV players to get back in the majors and a victory in Japan on the weekend delivered Lucas Herbert a big part of the bump he needs. The Victorian started the International Series Japan ranked 324th in the world, a dramatic fall from his career high of 40, a mark he hit in 2023, but an expected slide after his move to join Cam Smith's Ripper GC team. His win should lift Herbert to 170 in the world, with his intentions to play in other Asian events aiding his rankings cause. Herbert has declared shifting to LIV has been the best move he's made for his golf and he sits fifth on the breakaway tour's individual standings, with both the US and British Opens now offering a spot to the rankings leader not already qualified. His five-shot win in the $3m event, along with three top-five finishes on LIV this season, is indicative of a player in form but one who also knew what he was signing up for when he made his move while conceding being sidelined for the majors made for some 'hard' watching. Herbert is also holding out hope his form might sway major officials to send an invitation his way. 'When we came to LIV we knew that the majors were going to be the sticking point and it was going to be the hard thing to deal with,' he said, 'But it has been difficult to watch Augusta the last two years and know that I was never going to get there with the way everything is set up at the moment. 'There's no clear pathway to get to Augusta, so it was tough to watch them knowing I was never going to get there. 'I've had chances to qualify for the other majors though, so I can't get too upset at that. And that was the thing that we knew when we signed up with LIV, that majors would be the issue. They have the right to invite, or not invite, whoever they want. 'Obviously, I've been playing great this year and I would have loved to have played, but a big part of why I've played so well this year has been being in a team environment with Ripper. — Ripper GC (@rippergc_) May 8, 2025 'I don't think I would have played as well as I have this year had it not have been for LIV, so maybe I wouldn't have been good enough to qualify for the PGA Championship without LIV anyway. I'm seeing it both ways. It is what it is and there's some guys on LIV that did get invited and that's great because there's some really high quality golf being played on LIV at the top end of leaderboards.' Herbert said he also felt his win was reward for effort this year. 'I've played really well this year, and I think the driver was a big part of this success,' he said 'The way I've been playing this year, it's been building to get a win at some point. '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. Holding that trophy is a pretty good feeling.'
The Advertiser
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Eagle-eyed Herbert cruises to five-shot win in Japan
In-form Australian golf ace Lucas Herbert has soared to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit with a stylish runaway victory at the International Series Japan. As he does these days, Herbert the showman eagled the par-5 18th hole for the second day in a row to ice his remarkable five-shot triumph on Sunday. Victory clinched a maiden Asian Tour and International Series title for the 29-year-old at the par-71 Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba. Herbert closed with a seven-under-par 64 to reach 20 under for the week, daylight ahead of his playing partners, Japan's Yuta Sugiura and South Korean Younghan Song. Victory completed an incredible run by Herbert, who was five shots behind the leader with three holes to play in the third round. He engineered the 10-shot swing with two eagles in the last three holes on Saturday, followed by Sunday's 64 that included seven birdies and the eagle on the 18th. The Victorian's reward was a move to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, as well as the International Series rankings. It was also his first international victory in almost two years, since winning the 2023 ISPS Handa Championship, also in Japan. The Ripper GC star, who played a full season on the Asian Tour in 2016, started the day tied for the lead at 13 under alongside Sugiura and Song. The 33-year-old Song immediately moved ahead with an eagle on the second hole, but Herbert hunted him down with birdies on the second, fourth and fifth. Herbert made a bogey on the par-5 sixth and another at the 15th, but he was otherwise rock solid throughout and shut the door on the chasing pack. "I was thinking about it down on the 18th green, that finish yesterday really set it up,'' Herbert said. "Very happy with the way I played today, I think it was the low round of the day, so that's always going to make it hard to beat when you start the day tied for the lead." A second-hand putter he found at a thrift shop in Korea last week was smoking hot again as he completed the round in just 23 putts. But Herbert also credited a new driver he has been using this year. It has resulted in three top-10s on LIV Golf, where he is now fifth in the standings. "I've played really well this year, and I think the driver was a big part of this success,'' he said. "The way I've been playing this year, it's been building to get a win at some point. So, it's nice to get it done here, especially in Japan, which is one of my favourite places." Herbert is not wrong. He signalled he was trending towards this win when he closed with a record-equalling 10-under final round to finish runner-up at last month's LIV Golf Mexico City. American Cameron Tringale (66) rolled in a 15-foot eagle putt on the last to finish solo fourth at 14 under. International Series Japan was the third of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour calendar that form a pathway on to the LIV Golf League. In-form Australian golf ace Lucas Herbert has soared to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit with a stylish runaway victory at the International Series Japan. As he does these days, Herbert the showman eagled the par-5 18th hole for the second day in a row to ice his remarkable five-shot triumph on Sunday. Victory clinched a maiden Asian Tour and International Series title for the 29-year-old at the par-71 Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba. Herbert closed with a seven-under-par 64 to reach 20 under for the week, daylight ahead of his playing partners, Japan's Yuta Sugiura and South Korean Younghan Song. Victory completed an incredible run by Herbert, who was five shots behind the leader with three holes to play in the third round. He engineered the 10-shot swing with two eagles in the last three holes on Saturday, followed by Sunday's 64 that included seven birdies and the eagle on the 18th. The Victorian's reward was a move to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, as well as the International Series rankings. It was also his first international victory in almost two years, since winning the 2023 ISPS Handa Championship, also in Japan. The Ripper GC star, who played a full season on the Asian Tour in 2016, started the day tied for the lead at 13 under alongside Sugiura and Song. The 33-year-old Song immediately moved ahead with an eagle on the second hole, but Herbert hunted him down with birdies on the second, fourth and fifth. Herbert made a bogey on the par-5 sixth and another at the 15th, but he was otherwise rock solid throughout and shut the door on the chasing pack. "I was thinking about it down on the 18th green, that finish yesterday really set it up,'' Herbert said. "Very happy with the way I played today, I think it was the low round of the day, so that's always going to make it hard to beat when you start the day tied for the lead." A second-hand putter he found at a thrift shop in Korea last week was smoking hot again as he completed the round in just 23 putts. But Herbert also credited a new driver he has been using this year. It has resulted in three top-10s on LIV Golf, where he is now fifth in the standings. "I've played really well this year, and I think the driver was a big part of this success,'' he said. "The way I've been playing this year, it's been building to get a win at some point. So, it's nice to get it done here, especially in Japan, which is one of my favourite places." Herbert is not wrong. He signalled he was trending towards this win when he closed with a record-equalling 10-under final round to finish runner-up at last month's LIV Golf Mexico City. American Cameron Tringale (66) rolled in a 15-foot eagle putt on the last to finish solo fourth at 14 under. International Series Japan was the third of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour calendar that form a pathway on to the LIV Golf League. In-form Australian golf ace Lucas Herbert has soared to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit with a stylish runaway victory at the International Series Japan. As he does these days, Herbert the showman eagled the par-5 18th hole for the second day in a row to ice his remarkable five-shot triumph on Sunday. Victory clinched a maiden Asian Tour and International Series title for the 29-year-old at the par-71 Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba. Herbert closed with a seven-under-par 64 to reach 20 under for the week, daylight ahead of his playing partners, Japan's Yuta Sugiura and South Korean Younghan Song. Victory completed an incredible run by Herbert, who was five shots behind the leader with three holes to play in the third round. He engineered the 10-shot swing with two eagles in the last three holes on Saturday, followed by Sunday's 64 that included seven birdies and the eagle on the 18th. The Victorian's reward was a move to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, as well as the International Series rankings. It was also his first international victory in almost two years, since winning the 2023 ISPS Handa Championship, also in Japan. The Ripper GC star, who played a full season on the Asian Tour in 2016, started the day tied for the lead at 13 under alongside Sugiura and Song. The 33-year-old Song immediately moved ahead with an eagle on the second hole, but Herbert hunted him down with birdies on the second, fourth and fifth. Herbert made a bogey on the par-5 sixth and another at the 15th, but he was otherwise rock solid throughout and shut the door on the chasing pack. "I was thinking about it down on the 18th green, that finish yesterday really set it up,'' Herbert said. "Very happy with the way I played today, I think it was the low round of the day, so that's always going to make it hard to beat when you start the day tied for the lead." A second-hand putter he found at a thrift shop in Korea last week was smoking hot again as he completed the round in just 23 putts. But Herbert also credited a new driver he has been using this year. It has resulted in three top-10s on LIV Golf, where he is now fifth in the standings. "I've played really well this year, and I think the driver was a big part of this success,'' he said. "The way I've been playing this year, it's been building to get a win at some point. So, it's nice to get it done here, especially in Japan, which is one of my favourite places." Herbert is not wrong. He signalled he was trending towards this win when he closed with a record-equalling 10-under final round to finish runner-up at last month's LIV Golf Mexico City. American Cameron Tringale (66) rolled in a 15-foot eagle putt on the last to finish solo fourth at 14 under. International Series Japan was the third of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour calendar that form a pathway on to the LIV Golf League. In-form Australian golf ace Lucas Herbert has soared to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit with a stylish runaway victory at the International Series Japan. As he does these days, Herbert the showman eagled the par-5 18th hole for the second day in a row to ice his remarkable five-shot triumph on Sunday. Victory clinched a maiden Asian Tour and International Series title for the 29-year-old at the par-71 Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba. Herbert closed with a seven-under-par 64 to reach 20 under for the week, daylight ahead of his playing partners, Japan's Yuta Sugiura and South Korean Younghan Song. Victory completed an incredible run by Herbert, who was five shots behind the leader with three holes to play in the third round. He engineered the 10-shot swing with two eagles in the last three holes on Saturday, followed by Sunday's 64 that included seven birdies and the eagle on the 18th. The Victorian's reward was a move to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, as well as the International Series rankings. It was also his first international victory in almost two years, since winning the 2023 ISPS Handa Championship, also in Japan. The Ripper GC star, who played a full season on the Asian Tour in 2016, started the day tied for the lead at 13 under alongside Sugiura and Song. The 33-year-old Song immediately moved ahead with an eagle on the second hole, but Herbert hunted him down with birdies on the second, fourth and fifth. Herbert made a bogey on the par-5 sixth and another at the 15th, but he was otherwise rock solid throughout and shut the door on the chasing pack. "I was thinking about it down on the 18th green, that finish yesterday really set it up,'' Herbert said. "Very happy with the way I played today, I think it was the low round of the day, so that's always going to make it hard to beat when you start the day tied for the lead." A second-hand putter he found at a thrift shop in Korea last week was smoking hot again as he completed the round in just 23 putts. But Herbert also credited a new driver he has been using this year. It has resulted in three top-10s on LIV Golf, where he is now fifth in the standings. "I've played really well this year, and I think the driver was a big part of this success,'' he said. "The way I've been playing this year, it's been building to get a win at some point. So, it's nice to get it done here, especially in Japan, which is one of my favourite places." Herbert is not wrong. He signalled he was trending towards this win when he closed with a record-equalling 10-under final round to finish runner-up at last month's LIV Golf Mexico City. American Cameron Tringale (66) rolled in a 15-foot eagle putt on the last to finish solo fourth at 14 under. International Series Japan was the third of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour calendar that form a pathway on to the LIV Golf League.
