Lucas Herbert has run down his celebrity LIV Golf teammate Cameron Smith to safe his maiden skilled win on dwelling soil on the NSW Open on the Murray River.
In an exciting finale, Herbert closed with a day’s greatest four-under-par 67 to disclaim Smith a drought-breaking triumph after 15 months and not using a victory for the 2022 British Open champion.
Born two hours down the highway throughout the Victorian border in Bendigo, Herbert prevailed with a 15-under 269 whole in entrance of a posse of household and mates at Murray Downs Golf and Nation Membership, close to Swan Hill.
After beginning Sunday 4 pictures behind Smith, Herbert wound up successful by two strokes after the third-round chief dissatisfied with a closing three-over 74.
After backing up his tie for third on the Queensland PGA Championship with a runner-up displaying, Smith continues to development properly forward of his crack at a fourth Australian PGA crown subsequent week at Royal Queensland.
However the former world No.2 will lament letting the Kel Nagle Cup slip from his grasp and having to accept a share of the runner-up spoils with unheralded NSW pair Corey Lamb and 41-year-old Alexander Simpson.
After opening the marquee $800,000 occasion with a course-record 64, Smith appeared in management after wrestling again the midway lead from Herbert on Saturday.
However with two bogeys and no birdies in his first eight holes, Smith watched his in a single day four-stroke buffer over Herbert disappear earlier than he even reached the activate Sunday.
The pre-tournament favorite briefly regained the lead together with his first birdie on the ninth.
However there was no denying Herbert.
Two months after combining together with his Ripper GC skipper to assert LIV’s 2024 groups’ title in Dallas, Herbert received on his personal for the primary time since March final yr in Hong Kong on the DP World Tour.
And it largely got here right down to his placing and the choice to revert to the trusty blade he ditched on Saturday and could not drop one.
The 28-year-old drained 5 birdies on championship Sunday, in comparison with Smith’s two.
AAP
