Lucas Herbert has once again managed to outshine his LIV Golf teammate Cameron Smith, claiming the clubhouse lead after the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne. Utilizing preferred lies on the wet fairways, Herbert finished his opening round with an impressive eagle on the last hole, finishing at eight-under-par 63 at Victoria Golf Club on Thursday.
The newly crowned NSW Open champion now leads by one stroke over Rintaro Nakano, the 2023 Japanese amateur champion, and American player Ryggs Johnston, who both carded seven-under 65s at Kingston Heath, tying for second place. Smith, who had a tumultuous day, managed to sign for a six-under 65 at Victoria but found himself one shot behind.
Smith expressed his frustration with the tournament officials after the pro-am on Wednesday, criticizing the changes made to Kingston Heath’s layout for American-style golf. He began his round poorly, dropping a shot on his third hole. However, the 2022 British Open champion quickly found his rhythm, scoring six consecutive birdies in a remarkable mid-round performance.
Starting from the 10th, Smith salvaged a crucial par from behind a tree on the sixth hole before finishing strong with his eighth and ninth birdies of the day. “Yeah, pretty solid. I didn’t do really much wrong today,” Smith remarked. He acknowledged his slow start but credited a caffeine boost for his turnaround, stating that the course was definitely playable with soft greens and minimal wind.
As a pre-tournament favorite, Smith aims to secure his first Stonehaven Cup, but he will need to overtake an in-form Herbert. Just two weeks prior, Herbert overcame a four-shot deficit to deny Smith the NSW Open trophy, and he seems poised to do it again.
The 28-year-old produced a flawless round without any bogeys, including six birdies and an eagle at the ninth, after also beginning from the 10th. Herbert expressed that he believed he could have scored even better. “There were a lot of shots left out there. You probably feel like that with every round of golf to be fair,” he noted. He mentioned that he didn’t feel he holed that many putts but managed to hit the ball well into the right positions and benefited from a few fortunate breaks.
While Herbert and Smith showcased their skills, former world No. 2 Minjee Lee’s aspirations for a maiden Open trophy took a hit as she finished her first round with a two-over 74 at Victoria. Lee found herself eight shots behind her LPGA Tour colleague Su Oh, who registered a six-under 66 at Kingston Heath, mixing eight birdies with two bogeys.
As the tournament continues, women’s title favorite Hannah Green and Lee’s brother Min Woo are set to tee off in the afternoon waves on Thursday, promising more excitement in the ongoing competition.
