Home favourite Lucas Herbert is determined to overcome a back injury and play well at this week's ISPS HANDA Australian Open so he can get in front of the television cameras for his mum.
Meredith Herbert has travelled the world as her son's golf career has taken off but after a recent breast cancer diagnosis, that will have to take a back seat and she will be watching him on the television in time zones across the globe.
Lucas knows his mum will be well looked after by his dad but he admits knowing that she will be following his progress from the sofa gives him some extra motivation.
"It’s just happened over the last couple of months," he said. "It’s sad to watch your parents go through that kind of stuff but she’s more stubborn than me, so I know that she’ll get through everything and get there at some point.
"My dad’s a great support for her. I know he’ll do more than she wants him to do at home, so that sort of takes a bit of the pressure away and makes me feel a little bit more at ease, obviously being out there on Tour.
"We’ve had a lot of conversations about it the last couple of weeks and mum more than anything wants me to go and play well and get my head on TV so that it gives her something to watch early in the mornings or late at night sitting at home, rather than being able to travel with me. So, if that’s what she wants me to do, I’m going to have to go and work on that for her.
"I’ve looked at the schedule to see when I can get back next and it’s just tricky. From January to August it’s going to be flat out, so I don't know whether I’ll get back or not, but I know that he’ll be looking after her better than she needs, basically."
His dad Lyndon's commitment to his wife mirrors that he also showed to his son's golf in his formative years, with long journeys in the early hours and sleeping in the car the norm for the pair as Lucas chased his dream.
That hard work has brought him two DP World Tour titles and a victory on the PGA TOUR thus far but Herbert admits a win in his home state on courses he grew up playing would be extra special.
"It’s a little bit like the Open Championship, winning at St Andrews versus winning at any other venues," he said. "You’re not going to say no to winning it at another venue, but it’s definitely a lot more special to win in on the Sandbelt, for me anyway, given I grew up basically around this area and have played a tonne of golf at both these golf courses.
"To win one here it would just be a lot more special than anywhere else where you don’t have that same connection. It would be very cool to be holding that trophy at the end of the week."
The 26-year-old was forced to withdraw from last week's Fortinet Australian PGA Championship with a back injury but believes that decision is allowing him to play this week and also may have helped avoid further injury.
With some time off over the festive period to come after this week's event taking place at both Victoria and Kingston Heath Golf Clubs, Herbert was determined to play to maintain some momentum as he looks to move up from 57th into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and earn a place at the Masters Tournament.
"I want to win the Australian Open," he said. "I don’t want to sit on my couch and watch someone else win it this week and we’ve got a lot of time off after this week as well.
"I think if this was going to be the first event of a seven in nine week stretch, something like that, you’d probably look at whether this is the right time to come back, just to give yourself the most time to recover. But I think being the last event of the season, it’s in a good enough position where I feel like I can play this week and not do any more damage.
"I think I’ll be playing Augusta next year, whether it happens at Christmas or whether it happens two weeks out from the tournament, I just think I’m playing well enough and I’m doing enough of the right things that if I keep sticking to that, that I will get inside that top 50 again and will be playing.
"It's similar with the Presidents Cup. I think I’m improving, I’m trending in the right direction, I’m getting better at golf, I’m getting more used to playing in the US and becoming the player that I want to be.
"If I keep doing that, I can’t not play a Presidents Cup at some point and I can’t do anything more than what my best is."
