Herbert grew up playing in those conditions, but he doesn’t expect to have an advantage over McIlroy.
“When it comes to Rory, he’s the best player in the world,” Herbert said. “I don’t think he’s gonna struggle doing anything with a golf club in his hands.
“He’s from Northern Ireland, which is arguably the closest you’re gonna get condition-wise to playing sandbelt golf, in particular, Royal Melbourne. So as far as adjusting to those conditions, I don’t think he’s gonna have any issues in the world.
Rory McIlroy won a dramatic Masters in April.Credit: AP
“And I’ve no doubt that if I’m in the top five, top three, last group, whatever you wanna call it, come Sunday, I’m pretty sure R McIlroy will be a name that I’ll be having to contend with to win.”
Herbert was joint leader heading into the last round in 2024, alongside eventual winner Ryggs Johnston, but fell away on the back nine and finished equal fifth. He said the crash still stings, and so too his poor behaviour as it unfolded.
“It probably still sits with me a little bit; I wasn’t super proud of how I carried myself, especially on the back nine,” he said.
“It was essentially a home Australian Open … and everyone else in the crowd wanted me to win as much as I did, so there was a lot of built-up tension, and when I didn’t play well, frustration. And I’m not really proud of the way I handled it.”
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Winning the Australian Open would not only fulfil a dream for Herbert, but it would also secure him a start at the British Open and the US Masters.
Herbert effectively farewelled regular starts in the majors when he joined LIV in January 2024, given the 54-hole tournaments were not deemed sufficient for players to accrue world rankings points. Herbert fell from a career-high of 40 to his ranking today of 276.
The decision by LIV Golf to shift to 72 holes, along with some further tinkering on qualification systems, is expected to result in players such as Herbert and Cam Smith earning world ranking points again, and be able to play in the majors without relying on invitations or exemptions.
“We obviously wanna play the majors,” Herbert said. “We know how important they are. The staff and the players still really care about those tournaments, and it’s important that we get into them. And I think at the moment, the best way to get into them is through the world ranking system.”
