Global roundup: Herbert, Burmester claim victories

HERBERT WINS NSW OPEN; SMITH T2 (Australia)

Having played the first three rounds of this week’s Ford NSW Open with Ripper GC teammate Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert found himself trailing his captain by four strokes.

For Sunday’s final round at Murray Downs, the teammates were finally in separate groups, but their duel continued … and this time, it was Herbert who walked away with the winner’s trophy.

Shooting the lowest score of the day, a 4-under 67, Herbert won in his native Australia for the first time in his career, finishing at 15 under for a three-stroke victory over Smith and the two other players in the final group.

“To beat Cam starting four shots back on Sunday, yeah, pretty special feeling,” said Herbert after picking up the sixth win of his professional career. “I was thinking that today a little, maybe a couple of times I let my mind slip a little bit and I was like, ‘Geez, I’ve never won a Tour event in Australia’, like something of this stature. So very, very cool to tick that one off the list.”

Herbert joined the Rippers prior to the 2024 LIV Golf season, and the 28-year-old from Bendigo, Victoria proved to be a key contributor as Smith’s team won three times, including LIV Golf Adelaide in a playoff and the Team Championship in Dallas.

On Sunday, Herbert proved himself in tough conditions, with the final round delayed by 30 minutes due to high winds. Surprisingly, the difference between him and his captain was on the greens, normally Smith’s biggest strength.

Herbert had switched putters in the third round, but it did not fare well, so he went back to his old putter Sunday and promptly made three birdies on his opening nine to get into the mix.

“To be honest I was struggling with the putter all week,” he said. “I really didn’t feel comfortable the first two rounds, especially over left or right putts.

“Went to the putting green after the round on Friday and we knew then we were going to switch putters for the next day. Unfortunately it looked like I was holding a rattlesnake out there for a while.

“Came off the course, grabbed the other one. I reckon I hit two putts and was like, yep, this is going back in tomorrow, and it just felt incredibly better.”

Meanwhile, Smith struggled to find his groove, as he was 1-over at the turn, and then bogeyed three of his final five holes, including the last two, while trying to catch Herbert. His 2-over 74 tied for the highest score among the top 23 players on the leaderboard.

“I had about 85 putts [today],” Smith told Australian Golf Digest. “I feel like I did everything I needed to do, I just couldn’t hole anything. That was basically it. There were a few gusts and I didn’t even feel like I was hitting bad putts to be honest. It was pretty comical at the end there. It is what it is …

“It just wasn’t my day.”

Smith and Herbert will continue to compete in Australia the next two weeks at the Australian PGA and the Australian Open. Ripper teammate Marc Leishman is also in those fields, while Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann will return to defend his Australian Open title.

BURMESTER ROMPS TO 7-STROKE WIN IN SOUTH AFRICA

Stinger GC star Dean Burmester finished off a dominating weekend at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final, shooting a 6-under 66 to romp to a seven-stroke victory on the Sunshine Tour.

Burmester was 28 under for the four rounds at Oubaai Golf Resort; his highest score of the week came in the first round with a 67.

The victory is the 13th in Burmester’s professional career and his fourth within the last 12 months. He won the Joburg Open and the South African Open late last year, and then won his first LIV Golf title in April in Miami.

It’s his second career win in the Vodacom Origins of Golf series, and his first in the Final.

“It’s just great to be back in South Africa playing golf and competing for trophies. I love South African golf,” said Burmester, who matched the second-largest margin of victory in the Vodacom Origins of Golf series.

“It’s super special to win in front of so many friends and family. The South African hospitality is so special. The support we had and that super South African gees [vibe] was just magnificent."

Burmester took control of the tournament with a third-round 63 and was never in danger in the final round. After making a double bogey early in the first round, he played 62 consecutive holes without a bogey until a couple of meaningless bogeys late in the final round.

"This is what I grew up on – this kikuyu grass. It suits my game," said Burmester, who lives in the area. "And it was so special to have everybody out here watching. My family and I made the move to George from Bloemfontein about eight years ago and we’ve absolutely been embraced by this town.”

Burmester credited Stinger teammate Branden Grace with helping him improve his chipping, a key component to his success this week.

“I work very hard on my chipping,” Burmester said after his 63 on Saturday. “I have to give Branden Grace credit because he’s helped me a lot with that and not opening the face of the club too much and keeping it a little bit square, especially on those uphill lies. It’s paying dividends this week for sure.”

Grace, who suffered relegation after the LIV Golf season by finishing in the Drop Zone, was also in the field. He closed with a confidence-building 9-under 63 to finish in a tie for sixth at 18 under.

HATTON, NIEMANN TOP 10 IN DUBAI: Legion XIII’s Tyrrell Hatton shot a 1-under 71 in Sunday’s final round of the DP World Championship to finish in solo sixth at 10 under.

Hatton moved to fourth place in the final standings of the Race to Dubai, matching his career-best result in that season-long competition on the DP World Tour.

Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann shot a 1-over 73 to tie for seventh at 9 over. He finished 25th in the Race to Dubai.

Cleeks GC’s Adrian Meronk shot a 71 and tied for 30th at 1 under. He finished 42nd in the final points standings.

VINCENT 5TH IN JAPAN: Scott Vincent was relegated after the 2024 LIV Golf season but with a chance to return via the International Series or the Promotions event, he may be rounding into form.

The Zimbabwean shot a final-round 6-under 65 to finish solo fifth at the Dunlop Phoenix, one of the highest-profile events on the Japan Golf Tour. Vincent finished at 17 under, five shots behind winner Max McGreevy.

Vincent's Iron Heads GC teammate, Jinichiro Kozuma, tied for 19th at 10 under.