LIV Golf Watch: Herbert earns exemption into The Open Championship at New Zealand Open

Editor's note (Sunday, March 1): Multiple LIV Golf stars were in contention at two national opens this week. Here's how they fared. 

Lucas Herbert of Ripper GC finished solo second at the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort, earning him an exemption into The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. 

RELATED: Final leaderboard 

Herbert finished two shots behind winner Daniel Hillier, who was already exempt into The Open Championship. The New Zealand Open is part of the Open Qualifying Series, and Herbert said that was one of the main reasons why he competed this week. 

Hillier, who got married two weeks ago, is the first player from New Zealand to win the country's national open since 2017. 

This will be the sixth The Open Championship for Herbert, who was also full of praise for Hillier.

“I thought it was a nice thing to look at and see Dan in his second week of marriage winning his national open," Herbert said. "I don’t know if his life gets that much better for him.” 

RangeGoats GC's Ben Campbell, who hails from New Zealand, finished T36. 

The Asian Tour moves to Japan for the first event of the season on The International Series – the top-tier of events that provide a pathway to the LIV Golf League via The International Series Rankings.

The International Series Japan returns to Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba from April 2-5 – offering total prize money of US$2million.

Information from the Asian Tour was used in this report.

(Photo courtesy of Chris Symes/Photosport) 

SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN 

On the DP World Tour at the Investec South African Open, two members of the all-South African Southern Guards GC made moves through the first three rounds to set up a compelling Sunday. 

In the final round, however, Dean Burmester and Branden Grace couldn't quite close the gap as the leaders pulled away.

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PREVIOUSLY REPORTED (SATURDAY, FEB. 28) 

Editor's note (Saturday, Feb. 28): Multiple LIV Golf stars put themselves into contention entering the final stretch at two national opens with major championship exemptions on the line. Follow live scoring below.

Follow live scoring and find tee times for the Investec South African Open, where Southern Guards GC's Dean Burmester, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel entered the week as three of the headliners.
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Follow live scoring and find tee times for the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort, where RangeGoats GC's Ben Campbell and Ripper GC's Lucas Herbert began the week as two of the top names.
CLICK HERE FOR LEADERBOARD 

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED (Monday, Feb. 23)

This week, five LIV Golf players will be in action at the Investec South African Open on the DP World Tour and the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort on the PGA Tour of Australasia.

INVESTEC SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN

The Investec South African Open is one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments on the DP World Tour schedule and is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour. The event has a rich history dating back 1903 and this will be the 115th playing of the South African Open. 

Stellenbosch Golf Club will be the host course for just the second time in history, with the first time coming in 1999. The course is in the Western Cape of South Africa, at the foot of the Helderberg mountains. It’s a par 72 measuring 6,987 yards. 

There is a great deal on the line this week: For the first time ever in the tournament's 115 editions, the winner earns a direct exemption into the 2026 Masters. The South African Open is also part of the Open Qualifying Series. The top three finishers (highest placed players not already exempt) will earn spots in the field for The Open Championship.

DEAN BURMESTER. Burmester, a member of the all-South African Southern Guards GC which will be well represented this week, is coming off a strong T6 finish at LIV Golf Adelaide. He won the South African Open in 2024 at Blair Atholl Golf Club. 

BRANDEN GRACE. The Southern Guards GC star has been one of the most consistent performers through the first two LIV Golf events in 2026. He finished T9 in Riyadh and T8 in Adelaide. He won the South African Open in 2020 and was T4 in last year’s edition. 

CHARL SCHWARTZEL. Schwartzel, the final member of Southern Guards GC  competing this week, is off to a solid start to his 2026 campaign. He finished T30 in Riyadh and T17 in Adelaide, where he had a strong week with his irons, gaining over four strokes on approach. The former Masters champion is beloved in his home country and has six top-5 finishes at the South African Open since 2011.

NEW ZEALAND OPEN PRESENTED BY MILLBROOK RESORT

The New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort is one of the premier events on the PGA Tour of Australasia schedule and is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour (with partnership from the Japan Golf Tour). The event began in 1907 and this will be the 105th playing of the New Zealand Open. Millbrook Resort will be the host venue, with play across its two championship courses (Remarkables and Coronet) in Queenstown, New Zealand. It’s a par 71 measuring 6,958 yards. There are also major exemptions on the line this week as The New Zealand Open is part of the Open Qualifying Series. The leading not-already exempt player who makes the cut will earn a spot in the field for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. 

BEN CAMPBELL. Campbell hails from New Zealand and was a surprise contender through 36 holes in Adelaide. The Kiwi was one shot back of Jon Rahm entering the weekend but fell back to T17 by week’s end. Campbell, a member of RangeGoats GC, is a great putter who can heat up and make birdies in bunches.

LUCAS HERBERT. Herbert has been an unsung hero through Ripper GC’s torrid start to the 2026 season. They have won the team titles in both Riyadh and Adelaide. Herbert finished T9 and T6 in the events individually and enters the week hungry to earn an exemption into The Open Championship. 

PLAYER NEWS

Majesticks Golf Club Co-Captain Ian Poulter will make his senior major debut at the 2026 U.S. Senior Open in July. Poulter will follow in the footsteps of fellow LIV Golf players Lee Westwood and Richard Bland. 

While speaking to the Compleat Golfer, Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm expressed exciting for LIV Golf South Africa. “I’m excited. I’ve never been before, and that’s one of the aspects of LIV Golf that I really love”, he said. “I’ve always enjoyed travelling and feel very privileged to be able to visit new cities and new places. One of my biggest surprises recently was how much I enjoyed Hong Kong, so I’m really looking forward to experiencing South Africa as well.”

Just a few days after his big win at LIV Golf Adelaide, Anthony Kim shared an inspirational update on X.

Kim also added a video to his YouTube channel, demonstrating a drill with his swing coach that helped him prepare for Adelaide.

Bryson DeChambeau posted a new video to his YouTube channel. The Crushers GC captain played in a 2v2 match with “3 failed professional golfers.”

LIV Golf announced a partnership with The R&A Sustainable Agronomy Service and the USGA Green Section to advance agronomic standards for the 2026 season.