Lucas Herbert started the week at Maaden LIV Golf Virginia 2026 battling the flu. The 30-year-old Australian ended it with an impressive wire-to-wire victory and his first LIV Golf individual trophy.
Related: Herbert leads Garcia by 3, LIV Virginia team leaderboard hots up
The Ripper GC star shot a final-round 3-under 69 to hold off Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia, winning by four shots at 24 under at Trump National Washington, D.C.
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Garcia had closed the gap to a single stroke early on the back nine, but Herbert responded to the pressure with a timely birdie, eventually extending his lead to give himself the opportunity for a satisfying victory walk to the 18th green.
“I spent about 60-odd holes with the lead on my own,” Herbert said. “So, it was nice to kind of just get to the finish line and have this one presented to me and achieve a goal that I’ve had for 2-1/2 years now since I joined the league.”
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4Aces GC didn’t have the same easy stroll in winning their third team title of the season.
Fueled by Anthony Kim’s bogey-free 10-under 62 – his lowest round relative to par since his return to golf in 2024 after a 12-1/2 year retirement – the 4Aces forced a playoff with Fireballs GC, which had started the round tied for the lead.
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The 4Aces won on the first playoff hole, with Kim and Thomas Detry each making par at the par-4 18th to beat youngsters Josele Ballester (par) and David Puig (bogey).
“We’re all good players. We’re all very competitive,” said Detry, who shared sixth place on the individual leaderboard with Kim. “And I just love seeing that 4Aces name on top of the leaderboard.”
Kim – whose win earlier this season at LIV Golf Adelaide remains one of the most celebrated victories in the golf world this season – produced the best shot in the playoff, his 5-wood from 235 yards out of the rough finding the front of the green and finishing inside 10 feet from the pin. Meanwhile, the other three players failed to find the green with their approach shots.
“I noticed that the other three guys hit it really far, and I obviously don’t hit it as far as them at 40 years old and a broken body,” Kim said. “The goal was to just land it on the front and chase it back there with a 5-wood because the rough was wet. Just did what I was trying to do and executed the shot well.”
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Kim also made a clutch birdie on his final hole that gave the 4Aces a chance at the playoff, although the team still needed help. The Fireballs had a one-stroke lead as Garcia played his final hole of the day, but his bogey dropped the team into a tie.
It was a tough way to finish for Garcia, who was also in the hunt for the individual title on the back nine.
Herbert started the round with a three-stroke lead over Garcia and extended that to five through the first eight holes. But at the par-3 ninth, Herbert’s tee shot sailed long and into a collection area below the green. His first chip shot rolled back toward him, leaving him with another chip that eventually stayed up, and he two-putted for double bogey. Meanwhile, Garcia rolled in a birdie putt from 27 feet for a three-shot swing.
“I sort of walked off that green, had a bit of a laugh with Pughy [caddie Nick Pugh] and just reminded myself I’m still two in front,” Herbert said. “Despite that car crash of a hole, I’m still two in front.”
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Yet Garcia then added another birdie after a terrific approach at the par-4 10th, cutting the deficit to one.
“I was fighting hard,” said Garcia, a two-time LIV Golf winner. “Obviously Lucas was playing well. Other than what happened on 9 – and he actually hit a good shot, he just hit it in the wrong spot over the green. I was giving everything that I had.”
Two holes later at the par-5 12th, Herbert birdied while Garcia had to settle for par, and that seemed to switch the momentum that the Australian maintained the rest of the way – even through a short rain delay with two holes left in his round.
In the end, this was Herbert’s week, even though it started with an illness and limited practice time.
Asked what he learned about himself, Herbert responded: “That I can perform pretty damn well when things aren’t perfect. I was pretty sick all week, and I woke up this morning probably feeling worse than I did the last few days. I had Sergio coming at me for 36 holes really hard, and he pushed me the whole way, made me earn that one.
“I didn’t doubt myself. I missed a few putts here and there and made it a contest late. But after the rain delay, the way I played those eight shots, I’m so proud of that.”
