LIV Golf Pro, Lucas Herbert, finally gets his shot at one of the four biggest stages in the sport, and he did not even have to win a tournament to get there. Interesting right? Well, that was the story that became the highlight of the $1.3M event, the New Zealand Open.

It was Daniel Hillier who took the 105th NZ Open title, but with the exemption for the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale already in his pocket, the qualifying spot simply passed to the next eligible finisher. Herbert, sitting in second place as the final round wrapped up, was that man. Soon, the confirmation came through. The LIV Golf man is officially heading to Birkdale, and the smile on his face as he received the exemption said it all.

The significance of that Open spot is hard to overstate, given what Lucas Herbert has been dealing with since joining LIV Golf in 2024. Despite teeing it up in 17 majors during the course of his career, he has only qualified for two of the last eight. He publicly admitted it has been difficult to watch the Augusta-based event over the last two years, knowing there was no clear pathway in. The British Open berth at Birkdale is the first major he will play since the logjam began.

Lucas Herbert’s performance in New Zealand was also a statement of form. He began Thursday in dreadful conditions by dropping three shots in his first three holes, only to storm back and fire a final-round 67 to finish at 19-under, two behind Hillier. That kind of recovery speaks volumes of where his game is at right now. It also mirrors what he has been doing on the LIV Tour this season.

Just two weeks ago at LIV Golf Adelaide, Herbert shot -16 to finish T6 at The Grange East Course, behind eventual winner A. Kim (-23) and Jon Rahm (-20) in a stacked $20 million purse event. The T6 followed a T9 in Riyadh to open his 2026 campaign.

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While Lucas Herbert was picking up form quietly, the man who handed him the runner-up finish was writing his own chapter at Millbrook.

Hillier ends nine-year drought with composed Millbrook triumph

It was a historic win for the NZ golfer, ending a nine-year wait for a home champion. Hillier became the first New Zealander to win since Michael Hendry in 2017. His patient strategy, strong par-5 scoring, and clutch finishing stretch were what made him win the national title.

It all started with a strong third-round surge that changed the story of the tournament. He stayed steady for 13 holes, making only two birdies. Then he finished with birdie, birdie, par, eagle, birdie to take the lead and get the home crowd excited.

That late charge gave him a seven-under 64 score and put him at 18-under after 54 holes. He will face Kerry Mountcastle and Curtis Luck on Sunday, who are one shot behind. Most importantly, Hillier was the highest-ranked player going into the final round and had finished second in 2024, showing that he was still a strong contender.

On championship Sunday, Hillier stayed calm under pressure and shot a four-under 67 to finish at 22-under overall. When Lucas Herbert put pressure on Hillier, there were brief swings in momentum, but he made timely birdies to maintain his lead and protect it down the stretch.