THE 154TH OPEN

July 19, 2026

Lucas Herbert

Mixed Zone

Q. How are the emotions? Obviously it was a roller coaster day. What are the emotions like at the end of that?

LUCAS HERBERT: I feel like it's almost a theme of the week, right? I'm into St Andrews next year, which that's the best Open to play. So I've avoided another 36-hole qualifier, which my legs are already thanking me for.

But yeah, I've missed top 5 it looks like, unless Sam Burns forgets how to breathe on the last. I'm going to miss the top 5, which would have got all the majors.

Yeah, it is what it is. It was a great experience, the whole week. Yeah, I can't be too upset. A lot of positives to take. It's my best -- walking up the last, regardless of what happens, this is my best finish in a major. I genuinely contended. I was up around the lead for the last, what, 45 holes. There's a lot to take away from that. I've learned so much this week.

It's annoying that we're 12 months away from the next major I'm going to play.

Q. How much was that exemption on your mind playing the last two holes?

LUCAS HERBERT: Yeah, I've got a couple mates that are in line for tickets to the Masters from 2023 when I just missed there. I missed by a spot on world rankings. They've been in line for four years now. So I was kind of thinking about them, and I'm already looking forward to the texts I'm going to get in that group chat.

Yeah, look, it was a great week. Can't lose my mind too much about it.

Q. You went after it as well; you really tried to make ground and really had a good crack.

LUCAS HERBERT: Well, the conversation on the -- yeah, the conversation on the 17th tee was I need to make a 3. As much as I wanted to finish top 5, all the majors, all that, I still had a tournament to win that I was very much in. So that was why I went pretty aggressive with driver. Just really struggled with the driver today. I'm sure I've got a coach thing at home that will know exactly what's going on.

Yeah, ironically felt quite comfortable over it, just couldn't get it to go straight when I needed it to. Yeah, that one stings. As I said, I'll learn a lot.

Q. What were the pivotal moments today in your round?

LUCAS HERBERT: Just couldn't really get any momentum going. It was like every time I made a birdie I backed it up with a bogey. I just couldn't get much going. Made that really nice birdie on 10, and then I guess the theme of the day, just every time I was in a bunker -- I don't know that I had a flat lie in a bunker all week. I stood out of the bunker on 3 trying to hit it, and then had a foot and a half of room behind the ball on 17 and on 11 there, as well. Just makes it very hard to get any sort of control over it.

Yeah, I would say 11 just didn't need to make bogey there. That just kind of killed the momentum. Just couldn't get it started again. Had that putt on 13. I think if I make that, that could maybe kick start some things, but I just couldn't get that momentum going.

Q. Does being 9-under on Friday after 17 and shooting 62 make this more difficult to take, or are you proud when you reflect on this?

LUCAS HERBERT: Like I said before, the theme of the week is two emotions at once, right? Incredibly proud of what I've done this week. Just because you're 9-under through 17 holes on Friday doesn't mean you're guaranteed to finish no worse than that. It's a hard golf course. 10-under might win. 9-under might be a playoff. You can edit this bit of the interview when this goes out because we're watching this live, but there's just not -- it's hard to get a long way under par. There's snake pits everywhere ready to catch your ball and make a bogey. I can't get too caught up in that.

There's a lot to learn from this week and a lot of positives to take away from it.

Q. 17 seemed like a tough hole for you all week. Talk about the strategy of trying to play that hole.

LUCAS HERBERT: Yeah, I hit it well off the tee on Thursday. It was funny actually, so side story on this. Friday that second shot, kind of wrote it off at the time as I was working pretty hard to try and turn that into the wind, and then I was hitting a lot on the range with that same club, with the 5-iron that we were turning over yesterday. And then the shot into 13 yesterday I pulled it left of the green, and I said straight away to Pughy, I said, that 5-iron is not right. We went and checked it on the truck this morning, and it was a degree upright. That kind of stings a bit, thinking that -- and we don't know where it's come from because we hit it on the first on Thursday and it was absolutely fine.

I've got no idea how it's gone upright, but it has. How much does that got to do with what's happened this week? That's a side frustrating one.

I didn't play the par-5s well this week. I've finished 6-under par and I've played them even par for the week. As someone who plays the game like I do, that should be my bread and butter of where I make my score, and that's ultimately the difference right there between us lifting the Claret Jug and telling you how disappointed I am to finish sixth.

Q. Have you had much to do with Ryan, if he wins this?

LUCAS HERBERT: Yeah, I got on to Europe when he was out there, and then we must have been pretty similar with when we got across to the PGA TOUR. His manager and my caddie are really close. Yeah, the Aussies and the Kiwis tend to stick together out there, familiar breed.

Q. Has there been any particularly nice messages or responses throughout the week? Anything that sticks out?

LUCAS HERBERT: I haven't really read all of them, to be honest. Trying to just hang out and be normal at home. It's not easy to do that when -- I opened my group chat after Friday there was 185 missed messages. That's in one group chat. You can imagine how many messages there are and how many people reaching out. They all mean well, it's just impossible to get back to them. I'll probably go back tonight and scroll through and maybe reply with some liberation behind me, as well.