AUSTRALIAN LUCAS HERBERT won his first US PGA title on Sunday, firing a two-under par 69 in windy and rainy conditions to capture the Bermuda Championship by one stroke.

Intense breezes and drenching rain hammered players through most of the final round at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton.

But the 25-year-old Aussie battled through to finish 72 holes on 15-under 269, defeating 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed and New Zealand’s Danny Lee by a shot.

Meanwhile, Graeme McDowell and Séamus Power finished in a five-way tie for 12th place as they finished on 10-under for the tournament.

Power carded a four-under 67 in his final round, picking up an impressive six birdies along with just two bogeys. McDowell finished up with a one-under 70 in a par-laden round.

“It was pretty tough out there. It was a day where even par would be a good score,” Herbert said.

“I felt like I grinded really hard out there. You hit really good putts and couldn’t get rewarded. You had to stay tough and stay patient and they finally came for me.”

Herbert sank a 30-foot birdie putt at the 14th to grab the lead and closed with four pars to hold off his rivals.

“I just enjoyed the struggle out there,” Herbert said. “There were times I was sitting out there behind an umbrella and I was loving it.”

American Patrick Rodgers was fourth on 271 with 54-hole leader Taylor Pendrith of Canada and American Scott Stallings, who shot 62, sharing fifth on 272.

World number 57 Herbert, who will crack the top 50 next week, is a two-time European Tour winner, having taken last year’s Dubai Desert Classic and the Irish Open this past July.

Herbert, who shot US PGA career lows of 65 on Friday and Saturday, had his best prior PGA finish with a share of 18th at this year’s Memorial event.

Herbert birdied the par-4 14th to reach 15-under and seize a one-stroke lead over Pendrith and clubhouse leader Reed, who birdied four of the last six holes to shoot 65.

Pendrith sent his tee shot and third into the water at the par-5 17th on his way to double bogey to doom his title bid.

But Lee sank a four-foot putt at 17 for his third birdie in a row to pull one back of Herbert, who dropped his approach at 18 five feet from the cup.

Lee parred and Herbert lipped out on his birdie putt but the Aussie tapped in for the victory.

Pendrith settled for his first top-10 finish while Lee missed out on his first PGA title since the 2015 Greenbrier Classic.

Pendrith led by three when the day began but three consecutive bogeys starting at the par-4 sixth set him back.

Herbert birdied the par-5 second and par-3 third but saw a four-foot putt horseshoe lip-out to bogey the ninth, leaving Lee alone in the lead at the turn.

Lee, who birdied the second and third but made bogey at the fourth, stumbled with a double bogey at the par-4 12th and bogeys at 13 and 14.

That opened the door for Herbert, who holed 30-foot birdie putts at the 12th and 14th around a bogey at 13 to grab the lead at 15-under, one ahead of Pendrith and Reed.

Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, liked the gusty test.

“It allows me to be creative,” he said. “You can hit 1,000 different shots with the way the wind is blowing.”

© – AFP, 2021

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