Lucas Herbert made things harder than necessary, but he delivered when it mattered most.
The Ripper GC player carded a final-round 3-under 69 on a dramatic Sunday at Maaden LIV Golf Virginia to secure his first individual victory, finishing four shots ahead of a relentless Sergio Garcia. Herbert faced a turbulent back nine at Trump National Washington D.C., including a tense stretch around the ninth and 10th holes that briefly tightened the race, before regrouping after a rain delay and closing with authority.
“Probably that I can perform pretty damn well when things aren’t perfect,” Herbert said when asked what made him most proud. “I was pretty sick all week, and I woke up this morning probably feeling worse than I did the last few days. I had Sergio coming at me for 36 holes really hard, and he pushed me the whole way, made me earn that one. I didn’t doubt myself. After the rain delay, the way I played those eight shots, I’m so proud of that.”
Garcia finished alone in second at 20 under after a final-round 70. Bryson DeChambeau shot a closing 6-under 66 to take third at 19 under. Dean Burmester was fourth at 18 under, while Josele Ballester rounded out the top five at 17 under.
Herbert’s caddie, Nick Pugh, played a key role all week, guiding his player around a course Herbert had never seen before Thursday.
“We just had such a laugh out there,” Herbert said. “We said walking to the first tee, we’re going to have fun regardless. He’s amazing. There’s not a good enough word I can speak about him. He deserves it as much as I do.”
The win came with a significant bonus — Herbert earned the LIV Golf U.S. Open exemption, securing a spot in the field at Shinnecock Hills next month. It will be his 18th major championship start and a return to the venue where he made his major debut.
“My first major ever was at Shinnecock. Nice to go back and see what I’ve learned since then,” Herbert said. “Can’t wait to get there and try to play like I did this week.”
Thomas Detry, who entered the week in position to claim the exemption, finished T6 at 16 under — just short of what he needed.
On the team leaderboard, 4Aces GC won the team title in a playoff over Fireballs GC after both teams finished tied at 49 under.
Individual Top 10
1. Lucas Herbert (24-under)
2. Sergio Garcia (20-under)
3. Bryson DeChambeau (19-under)
4. Dean Burmester (18-under)
5. Josele Ballester (17-under)
T6. Thomas Detry (16-under)
T6. Anthony Kim (16-under)
T8. Jon Rahm (15-under)
T8. Scott Vincent (15-under)
T8. Joaquin Niemann (15-under)
Team Top 3
1. 4Aces (49-under; won by 1 stroke in playoff)
2. Fireballs (49-under)
3. Legion XIII (48-under)
This story was written by Mike McAllister in collaboration with LIV Golf.
