Lucas Herbert is having a fantastic 2026 season. After finishing T6 at the Open Championship earlier this month, the 30-year-old won LIV Golf UK on Sunday, July 26. However, the win didn’t come easy for the Australian golfer. During the post-game press conference, Herbert revealed what kept him up at night as he competed at the JCB Golf & Country Club for the lion’s share of $20 million. 

“I think I drew a lot of parallels from Virginia to this week, scoring-wise, lead-wise. A lot of things were similar throughout. I dumped one in front of the green there on 8 today when Tyrrell was chasing me down, and those boys were pushing me pretty hard. It sort of reminded me of 9 at Virginia where I hit one over the back there and made a double and kind of let Sergio back in it.

“I wanted to learn from that experience and not make a double and learn from that experience. Gave the one from down the valley a little extra to make sure it got up and made the one coming back. I think it was probably around the time [when] it was starting to get the most stressful. Tyrrell was making a lot of birdies, and there was not a lot I could do. Yeah, I would say that point [was the most stressful].”

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Despite the stress, Herbert had a mistake-free final round. Having already carded rounds of 11-under par 61, 6-under par 66, and 3-under par 69, he scored ten birdies to finish 10-under par 62 and 30-under overall. After the dust settled, he had defeated World No. 23 Tyrrell Hatton, the man he feared was derailing his lead, by six shots.

What’s more, this is his second win of the year and also his second win on LIV. However, the biggest achievement this year for him is the fact that his winning score is the lowest in LIV history, alongside scoring the most birdies in the tournament, with 30. Yet, the night before he accomplished these feats in the final round, Herbert claims the real stress came when he was in his hotel room.

“Off the golf course, just sitting at night thinking about what you’ve got in front of you and what’s going to happen tomorrow,” he added. “That’s probably the hardest bit, honestly. It’s [at night] just switching off between rounds. Once you get out here and you get in your warm-up and start hitting balls, you kind of get into it, and you get going, and you free up. 

“In between rounds there’s nothing you can do, and all you can do is think. That gets pretty stressful.”

Herbert, of course, isn’t the first to express his thoughts on how stressful competing at such a high level can be. Just the other day, World No. 2 Rory McIlroy opened up about the pressure and nerves he experiences before hitting his first tee shot during an appearance on The WHOOP Podcast. He admitted that even he can struggle with anxiety on the course. 

The Northern Irishman also revealed how he copes with the tension by reminding himself that, despite the stakes, “I’m not gonna die.” Dealing with severe nerves is something top players deal with daily. But Herbert’s performance suggested his complete confidence. And that’s not an assumption, especially considering what his peers are saying. 

Tyrrell Hatton and others react to Lucas Herbert winning LIV Golf UK

Herbert had a superb opening round, as he ruthlessly stole the lead from the rest, scoring nine birdies and an eagle. And reflecting on such a dominant showing from the Australian, Tyrrell Hatton felt there was nothing he could really do. 

“I don’t feel like I could have done much more, and he still won by six,” Hatton said. Yeah, incredible week for Lucas. Hat’s off to him.”

Meanwhile, Herbert’s performance made Cameron Smith, who finished in 4th place, feel that he should have been back home watching the tournament on TV with a beer. 

“After the last couple of weeks, it’s hard to say he’s not inside the top 5 [or] 10 in the world,” Smith said. “He’s just so confident at the moment. Nothing scares him. I’ve been there before. It’s a cool place to be. You can see when someone is in that zone, and he’s in that zone.”

Smith isn’t wrong. In the current season, Herbert has had 7 top-10 finishes, including two wins. But what shocked Bryson DeChambeau is the margin by which Herbert defeated the top 5 in the event. 

“I beat fourth place by four shots, and Lucas beat the top five by 16 shots,” DeChambeau said. “It was quite amazing.”

While Herbert is doing great, LIV Golf itself isn’t in the best place right now. Yet to secure funding since the Saudi PIF’s announcement to end theirs, the breakaway league is on the brink of collapse. And if that happens, it will inadvertently affect the Australian as well.