Lucas Herbert saluted the strength and depth of talent in Japan and on the Asian Tour after completing a stunning five-shot victory at International Series Japan presented by Moutai, a result that gave him top spot in the season-long rankings race.
The Australian, who plays for Ripper GC on the LIV Golf League, led from the start after a course record-equalling 62 on Thursday at Caledonian Golf Club, and although he was five adrift with three to play on Saturday, two stunning eagles in his closing three holes put him in a three-way share of the lead going into the final day.
A closing 64 was enough to see off nearest challengers Yuta Sugiura of Japan and Younghan Song of Korea, and the dominant display underlined Herbert’s rich vein of good form this season that has already generated three top-five finishes and three top-20 results in seven LIV Golf League events.
Herbert is becoming something of a specialist – his last tournament win was also in Japan, at the ISPS Handa Championship in 2023.
Referring to the Asian Tour stars and strong domestic contingent in the field for the elevated event – the third of 10 on the Asian Tour calendar, Herbert said: “The strength of the field was very good here this week. I have played in Japan a few times over the years, and the field strength is always good.
“It's tricky. It feels like I am playing an away game against these guys on their home turf. Their games are all structured and built to play really well on Japanese courses. So it is tough to beat them at their own game at times.
“That's why the two wins I have had in Japan have felt quite special, because it feels like winning an away game like in other sports when you are beating these guys on their home venues, against home crowds too.”
Herbert surged 20 positions to pole thanks to the 180 rankings points earned, and he leads International Series Macau winner Carlos Ortiz of Mexico and International Series India presented by DLF champion Ollie Schniederjans by 22.95 points, with Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed tied fourth, a further 70 points behind.
American Schniederjans missed both the Macau and Japan dates because of injury, and will be hoping for a return in time for International Series Morocco from 3-6 July, with the top spot on the table securing a place on the LIV Golf League next season. Herbert, Ortiz, Reed and DeChambeau all play on the LIV Golf League.
Local hero Sugiura and Song of Korea, the joint runners-up in Japan, entered the top 10 at T6, moving ahead of the LIV Golf duo Abraham Ancer and Jason Kokrak. Richard T Lee of Canada, last season’s BNI Indonesian Masters champion, is currently sitting 10th.
The International Series is the most prized pathway in golf. It consists of 10 elite tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour and offers the year-long Rankings leader promotion to the LIV Golf League
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