While most golfers like to travel the world to play golf on different courses, it can sometimes take a toll on their bodies. The shift to LIV Golf did just that for a DP World Tour winner. While it brought bigger paydays and a global spotlight, Lucas Herbert says the move has significantly affected his schedule. It gets worse this year considering LIV Golf’s format changes implemented for the 2026 campaign.
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“I’ve got a pretty busy schedule with the amount that I like to play without playing any DP World Tour events. So, if it was to stay the same as it is now, I don’t think I would spend any time out there regularly. There are events out there I miss for sure. I miss the Dubai Classic. I miss the Irish Open. They are great events,” he tells bunkered.co.uk.
“It’s a pretty hectic schedule for us now with the amount of travel we’re doing and obviously adding the extra round in this year, being 72 holes now.”
Interview with Lucas Herbert ahead of this week’s @NZOpenGolf, where an Open spot is up for grabs.
– A potential DP World Tour return
– Avoiding Open qualifying
– More ‘realistic’ OWGR outcome
– Five majors?https://t.co/1c53RgC6mL— John Turnbull (@JohnTurnbull03) February 26, 2026
Lucas Herbert is playing in the 2026 New Zealand Open. He started his journey on the DP World Tour, where he secured his maiden title at the 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. The result came after a playoff against Christiaan Bezuidenhout. He followed that with a win at the 2021 Irish Open. With the two wins, he made his way into the world’s top 100. Thus, both these events still remain close to his heart, and he misses them a lot.
However, he might not be able to play them this year because of the hectic schedule. LIV Golf’s 2026 schedule features 14 events across 10 countries and five continents. Traveling across these countries to play golf can be very demanding on the body. Although golfers do get time to rest, playing in different time zones with jet lag and other challenges can still be difficult.
To add to the challenges, LIV Golf changed its format this year. After following the traditional 54-hole format, the Saudi-backed league now moved to the standard 72-hole format. This means LIV golfers now have to play one more day, further shortening their rest and recovery period.
This hectic schedule becomes even more stringent when golfers can’t miss the lucrative opportunities of major qualifiers.
“Leish [Marc Leishman] and I both spoke last year about how 36-hole qualifiers for the US Open and the Open took a lot out of us and almost put us back a little bit in the LIV schedule because it forced us to put more of a focus on recovery rather than pressing and getting ready for events,” Lucas Herbert added. “It’s tough to turn down a qualifier as well and accept missing out on a major, too.”
Both Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert entered the qualification for the US Open 2025 and The Open 2025.
Leishman qualified for the US Open via a three-man playoff after 36 holes at Woodmont. He finished T38 at Oakmont during the event. The Australian professional said that qualifying was hard at age 41 and credited LIV’s schedule for enabling preparations. He also secured his Open spot via T3 at the 2024 Australian Open. Thus, he didn’t have to play a qualifier for that.
Lucas Herbert, on the other hand, topped The Open final qualifying at West Lancashire. He carded rounds of 69-67 at the qualifications to finish 8-under par. The 3x DP World Tour winner beat Sampson Zheng by one shot for his fifth Open start, where he finished T42.
Herbert didn’t advance in the US Open qualifying. He did come really close to invitations through other qualification methods like the Australian Open and the New Zealand Open, but missed.
This left the Australian professional to prioritize recovery over peak performance in subsequent LIV tournaments. And it seems like this play-and-recovery routine of his is yielding excellent results.
Lucas Herbert has found his rhythm on LIV Golf
Lucas Herbert has not won any LIV Golf event yet. However, the consistency in his game speaks for itself.
The Australian professional started his journey with the Saudi-backed league in 2024. He finished his debut season in 15th position. His best performance was T6, which came at Houston, Greenbrier, and Chicago. There were a couple setback, too. He ended with T51 at Miami and T45 at Las Vegas.
He then improved in 2025, with his worst score being T45 at Indianapolis. As for the good results, he finished tied for 2nd in Mexico City, a solo 4th in Hong Kong, and T4 in Riyadh. This year, he seems to be in an even finer touch. He opened with a T9 at LIV Golf Riyadh 2026 and then followed it with a T6 at LIV Golf Adelaide 2026.
This steady run of results suggests Lucas Herbert is learning how to manage the physical demands that once disrupted his rhythm. There’s no denying that the schedule and format changes have forced him to sacrifice familiar DP World Tour stages. However, his recent LIV performances show a player adapting and finding balance within a far more demanding setup.