Herbert’s Boise Open T4 earns PGA Tour card

Lucas Herbert fired a closing round of 66 to move up eight places to finish in a share of 4th position at the Albertsons Boise Open on the Korn Ferry Tour on Sunday.

The Victorian finished at 17-under-par, two strokes shy of eventual winner, American Greyson Sigg.

Lucas Herbert (Credit: European Tour)

More significant, however, was that his 4th place finish secured 230 points which was more than enough to gain a 2021-22 exemption to the world’s biggest stage of golf.

Herbert is one of four players, including Matthias Schwab, Aaron Rai and J.J. Spaun, to lock in a PGA Tour card after top-5 finishes.

Herbert has been based in the US for the best part of the year, making trips back to play the European Tour where he secured his second professional victory at the Irish Open and a tied 4th finish at the Scottish Open.

Having turned professional in 2014, he played mostly on the Australian Tour and was runner-up in the Isuzu Queensland Open behind amateur Brett Coletta. A year later, in the 2017 NSW Open Championship, he was again runner-up, this time to Jason Scrivener and followed this with good finishes at the Emirates Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship.

The Victorian then looked towards the European Tour, mainly via sponsor’s invites during 2018 where Herbert finished 47th on the Race to Dubai and ending the year in the world top-100.

In January 2020, Herbert won his first European Tour event, the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, where he beat Christiaan Bezuidenhout in a playoff. His best result in a major so far was a tie for 31st at the 2020 US Open.

Herbert has played in seventeen PGA Tour events to date with his best result a tie for 18th at this year’s Memorial Championship. In the eleven starts this season on the PGA Tour he’s made the cut in seven and carded two top-25 finishes. His win on Sunday moves him to World No. 49, his highest rank to date.

Aaron Baddeley was the next best Australian finishing in a share of 48th position, with Curtis Luck finishing in a share of 79th position.

The second round of the Korn Ferry Finals, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at Ohio State University Golf Club will be played this week.

The Korn Ferry Tour Championship will then be held the following week at Victoria National Golf Club in Indiana.