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Lucas Herbert dreaming big at Augusta

3 minute read

He's cracked the world's top 50 and won in Europe and the US so Lucas Herbert isn't at the Masters just to make up the numbers on his debut at Augusta.

JASON DAY. Picture: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

It would rank among sport's great fairytales but Lucas Herbert earnestly believes he's capable of winning the Masters on debut.

"I think I have a lot of things going for me and a lot of assets to my game that I could potentially be a first-time winner there," Herbert said when asked about his hopes for the week ahead at Augusta National.

While listed by some bookmakers as a 500-1 long shot, Herbert's confidence is not misplaced.

The 27-year-old is the first Australian to win on the European and US PGA Tours in the same calendar year since Adam Scott - Australia's only Masters champion - having taken out the 2021 Irish Open and then the Bermuda Championship.

Winning the Masters on debut is not unprecedented either - just extremely rare.

Fuzzy Zoeller was the last man to achieve the feat in 1979 and, before him it only happened twice - in the first and second years of the Masters in 1934 and '35.

Fellow Australian Jason Day finished joint runner-up on debut in 2011, while Scott posted a top 10 in his maiden Masters 20 years ago.

There's no doubting Herbert is feeling ambitious.

He also feels a tangible connection with Augusta despite having only played two rain-interrupted practice rounds on the famed layout.

The Bendigo native hopes his imagination with the putter on Royal Melbourne-like greens and his ability to softly land long irons from height from the course's notorious down slopes will enhance his chances.

Most importantly, Herbert finally believes he belongs among the sport's big boys playing for majors after climbing to 44th in the world rankings.

"If you win on the PGA Tour, your game is obviously at a very high level," he said.

"And winning wire-to-wire at the Irish Open was really special.

"I felt like I still had something to prove in a way that, if you saw my name on the leaderboard, you needed to beat me. I wasn't just going to fall away on my own.

"I led that tournament from start to finish and people had to come and beat me and they didn't."

Herbert is also drawing inspiration from countryman Cameron Smith, who has soared to No.6 in the world and is one of the Masters favourites.

"Cam was probably two or three years in front of me development-wise but we sort of took similar paths in that our journey wasn't direct to the PGA Tour," Herbert said.

"We had to go via some smaller tours in some quite different parts of the world.

"So he is someone I feel I can follow in his footsteps a little bit.

"It gives me the confidence that if he can get to No.6 in the world and in there challenging for No.1 in the world, then maybe that's something that I can do in the years to come.

"I'd love it to come quickly but I think it's going to happen."