Australia’s Herbert completes wire-to-wire win at Irish Open

Australian golfer Lucas Herbert completed a wire-to-wire victory at the Irish Open on Sunday, shooting 4-under 68 in the final round to win by three strokes and also secure a place at the British Open.

It was Herbert’s second title on the European Tour, after the Dubai Desert Classic in January 2020.

Starting the last round with a one-shot advantage, Herbert briefly lost the outright lead when he was joined by Francesco Laporta after the Spanish player’s stunning run of six-straight birdies from No. 5.

Herbert then found himself tied for the lead on 17 under with American playing partner Johannes Veerman, who holed a long right-to-left putt on No. 14.

The Australian moved clear again with a birdie at the 15th, and took a two-stroke lead when he got up and down for par from one greenside bunker while Veerman made bogey from another.

Herbert walked down the last with a three-shot lead - and with spectators behind him holding up umbrellas in the rain - after a tap-in birdie at the par-5 17th. He punched the air with joy after rolling in a 10-foot par putt at No. 18 to finish on 19-under 269.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Herbert said. “It’s a bit fulfilling. I was at a low point in my life two years ago here and I have gone full swing and won the event. It’s pretty satisfying.”

The 350th-ranked Veerman bogeyed the last, his par putt lipping out, to drop into third place behind Rikard Karlberg, a Swedish player ranked 611th in the world who chipped in at the last for birdie and a 67.

Karlberg and Veerman also clinched Open spots along with Herbert, as the three top finishers who were not previously exempt. The world’s oldest major starts at July 15 at Royal St. George’s.

Herbert is projected to jump to No. 54 in the world.

Meanwhile, former world number one Ko Jin-young finished a marathon day with a one-shot lead in the LPGA Volunteers of America Classic in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday.

Ko, whose 92-week reign atop the world rankings ended Monday when Nelly Korda ascended to number one, had an eagle and three birdies in a five-under par third-round 66 that gave her a 14-under par total of 199 as darkness fell.

She was one stroke in front of 36-hole leader Matilda Castren of Finland and Germany’s Esther Henseleit.

Castren posted a three-under 68 for her 13-under total of 200 while Henseleit stormed up the leaderboard with a seven-under par 64 that featured an eagle and eight birdies.

Ko’s day at The Colony started long before her bogey-free third round.

She was among the wave of players who failed to finish the second round after a six-hour weather delay on Friday.

The seven-time LPGA tour winner was even par through four holes when play was halted on Friday, and returned to complete a one-under 70 that left her one stroke behind Castren heading into the third round.

“I couldn’t sleep well last night,” Ko said after polishing off her second round. “I finished at 8:30 and I got in the bed maybe after 10:00 ... wake up at 4:50 -- so I couldn’t sleep well and then I was tired on the course.”

It didn’t show. After a brief rest at her home in nearby Frisco, Texas, Ko opened the third round with a birdie to promptly join Castren atop the leaderboard.

Ko added a two-putt birdie at the par-five sixth. She and Castren were tied for the lead through nine holes, but Ko pulled ahead with a birdie at the 13th followed by her hole-out for eagle at the par-four 15th.

That saw her jump ahead of Henseleit, who roared up the leaderboard with four birdies in the first nine holes, including a run of three straight at the sixth, seventh and eighth.

A birdie at 13 gave the German a share of the lead but she dropped back with a bogey at 14. She, too, eagled 15, and added one more birdie at 17.

“I actually didn’t think we would get that close to not finishing, but I’m so happy that we did,” said Henseleit, a 22-year-old who is seeking a first LPGA title.

The German won the 2019 season ending Magical Kenyan Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour to scoop that season’s Rookie of the Year and Order of Merit awards.

“It really is dark,” she said of the late finish. “You couldn’t really see the pins on the last two holes. But just happy to be sleeping in tomorrow.”

Castren did enough to keep herself in the hunt. She and Henseleit were three strokes clear of South Korean Lee6 Jeong-eun, who finished with three straight birdies in a 69 for 203.