Australian Open 2106: Lucas Herbert, Curtis share first round lead

Curtis Luck finished the first day in a share of the Australian Open lead with former amateur star Lucas Herbert.

How they stand after round one.

Jordan Spieth struggled with the greens. Adam Scott struggled with consistency. Aaron Baddeley just plain struggled. As the big names struggled to make an impression at Royal Sydney yesterday, amateur star Curtis Luck lived up to the pre-tournament fanfare with an opening round at the Australian Open that certified his reputation as an emerging star.

Luck finished the first day in a share of the tournament lead with former amateur star Lucas Herbert, the pair firing matching 67s as they took advantage of a morning suited to scoring. The sun shone and Luck made hay with a round that reinforced the sense, at least externally, that he is ready for the rigours of professional golf.

Luck has made it overtly clear he is likely to turn pro after the US Masters. If yesterday is any indication, the transition can’t come soon enough. Scott and Spieth are former world No 1s. Baddeley would have you believe that lofty goal is still within his reach.

None of them could hold a candle to the 20-year-old as he led the field in putting and held his own off the tee — he finished sixth in driving average.

“I’ve felt pretty ready for the last couple of months in particular,” Luck said.

“At the end of the day, one day doesn’t really matter. Maybe after the tournament I might be able to say that it’s reinforcing that I’m ready (to turn pro).

“I’m not going to say anything after round one because there’s a lot of golf still to play.’’

Herbert was singing from the same hymn sheet. Also 20, he has had his love for the game tested over the past 12 months, rediscovering his passion only earlier this year when he flew to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast to visit his coach, Dom Azzopardi, who also happens to be his caddie this week.

“Twelve months ago I lost the passion for it a bit,’’ Herbert said. “The whole practising side of it was not fun for me. It was a real chore for me and it felt like work. I found other stuff I liked doing in life. I was interested in seeing everything else life has to offer.

“I went up to see my caddie, who is also my coach, in Noosa. There was one night where I just wanted to go out and play nine holes. I didn’t care what I shot. It was just a nice night for a walk and a hit of golf. I think that was the night that sparked it.

“I guess seeing a lot of the other guys succeeding as well I thought ‘well, I can do that as well, I’m just as good as them’.’’

Herbert arrived at Royal Sydney in good touch. He produced a top-10 finish at last week’s NSW Open despite flying to Melbourne the night before his closing round to attend a friend’s wedding, returning only hours before he was due to tee off.

“I had a couple of quiet ones, nothing silly,’’ Herbert said. “I think 10 years down the track, I will be remembering how I went to my mate’s wedding rather than remembering I finished eighth in a golf tournament. He is a really good friend of mine. He messages me whether I finish good or bad.’’

Yesterday was good, exceptionally good, as he fired five birdies in a round free of blemishes. How Scott would have craved the same result as he finished his opening round at one-over. Playing with Aaron Baddeley (74), Scott fired four birdies but the good was brought undone by the bad — five bogeys.

Every time he threatened to make a move, he handed shots back. His back nine was an abomination.

“I didn’t drive it well, hit my irons well, chip well or putt well,’’ Scott said. “It was all very average.’’

Spieth (69) was slightly more satisfied. At three-under, he is close enough if he is good enough but he needs to get a handle on the greens, having taken 29 putts during a round that left him highly impressed with Luck’s temperament — the pair played together.

Herbert was allowed to play his round in relative anonymity compared with Luck. By the end of the day, he was back in the spotlight, having clambered his way to the top of the leaderboard after taking advantage of a late invitation to play, which arrived only after he launched his own social media campaign.

Having begged for an opportunity, he made it count.

“Whenever you get an invite into a big event, especially like this one, you want to make the most of it,’’ Herbert said. “But there’s still a long way to go.’’