Strong Finish for Herbert at Southern Hills

Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States: With two closing birdies Lucas Herbert secured his best finish in a Major and guaranteed himself a place in the field at next year’s US PGA Championship.

Herbert (71) and fellow-Australian Cameron Smith (69) ended a gruelling week at Southern Hills Country Club with the shared honour of being the best of the Asia-Pacific contingent, their tie for 13th at even-par enough to be exempt into the 2023 championship at Oak Hill Country Club in New York.

A dramatic collapse by Chilean Mito Pereira on the 72nd hole saw 2017 champion Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris finish level at five-under par and force a three-hole aggregate play-off. Thomas emerged victorious.

Herbert and Smith were among seven former Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship participants to make the cut.

Korean KH Lee, who successfully defended his AT&T Byron Nelson title on the PGA Tour last week, was equal 41st on 285. It was the first time he’d made the cut in six Major appearances.

Australian Cam Davis ended in a share of 48th following a 70, while New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, after three even-par 70s, slid to a 77 to finish the week in 54th position.

Korean Kim Si-woo and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama were among those in joint 60th (289).

In the play-off, Thomas and Zalatoris traded birdies at the par-five 13th before Thomas took a stranglehold with a superb tee shot that found the green at the short par-four 17th, his subsequent two-putt birdie providing a one-shot buffer heading to the 18th.

Seven shots back at the start of the day and trailing by eight early in his final round, Thomas made a two-putt par on 18 to complete a historic championship triumph and second Major title.

Starting the final round in a tie for 10th, Herbert edged his way up the leaderboard with birdies at one and four, putts from 15 and 12 feet respectively providing a glimpse of the top of the leaderboard. The 26-year-old made the turn at three-under for the championship but bogeys at 11, 12 and 14 and a double-bogey at the par-four 16th saw Herbert drop outside the top 20.

With the lure of the top 15 exemption for the following year, Herbert got up-and-down from right of the 17th green to make birdie and then hit his approach shot from 210 yards into seven feet at 18 for the birdie that pushed him back into the top 15.

The tie for 13th bettered Herbert’s previous best finish in a Major – tied 31st at the 2020 US Open – and continues his upward trajectory in the game’s showpiece events.

Like Herbert, world number four Smith made birdies early as he sought to advance his position on Sunday. A wedge to six feet set up birdie at four and he followed that with a two-putt birdie at the par-five fifth.

There were further birdies at 10 and 17 along with bogeys at seven, 11 and 15 as the 28-year-old completed the seventh top-20 finish in a Major in his career and his highest finish in a US PGA Championship.