Lucas Herbert delivered one of the most electrifying finishes in recent Asian Tour history, eagling two of his final three holes to snatch a share of the lead heading into the final round of the US$2 million International Series Japan presented by Moutai.
Playing at the scenic Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba, the 29-year-old Australian—who started the day with a one-shot lead—found himself five strokes off the pace with just three holes to play. But the Ripper GC star on the LIV Golf League turned frustration into fireworks, driving the green on the par-4 16th and sinking a 21-foot putt for eagle. He followed that up on the par-5 18th with a superb 188-yard second shot to 10 feet and calmly rolled in another eagle putt to card a two-under 69. Herbert now sits at 13-under-par after 54 holes, tied at the top with Japan’s rising star Yuta Sugiura (66) and Korea’s Younghan Song (68). “It was a frustrating day heading into the last three holes,” said Herbert, who matched the course record with a 62 on Thursday. “Golf is funny like that—you can flip a rough round in just a couple of holes. I’ve got the lead again and hopefully I can close it out.”
Herbert will be aiming for his first international title since his win at the 2023 ISPS Handa Championship—also held in Japan. Joining him at the summit is Yuta Sugiura, who continues to impress in his breakout season. The 24-year-old Japanese star, already a winner on the Japan Golf Tour, showed poise despite an opening bogey and a late stumble at the 18th, where he overshot the green with a 78-yard wedge. Earlier, Sugiura had wowed the gallery with an eagle on the short par-4 16th, driving to six feet and converting the putt.“Today, I made more putts than the last two days, and that really helped,” said Sugiura. “It feels good to be in the final group and in contention. I just want to enjoy the pressure and give it my best.”Korea’s Younghan Song, the 2016 SMBC Singapore Open champion, birdied the 18th to complete the trio of co-leaders. A regular on the Japan Golf Tour, Song is seeking his first win on Japanese soil.“My putting was solid early, but I struggled a bit in the middle,” said Song. “I changed my mindset, told myself to hang in there, and it paid off.”
Sam Horsfield of England set the early clubhouse target with a dazzling 63, climbing to solo fourth at 11-under. Despite being nine-under through 16, a bogey at the 17th and missed birdie on 18 kept him two shots off the pace. Australia’s Travis Smyth and Guatemala’s Jose Toledo both posted 68s to sit tied for fifth at 10-under. The International Series Japan is the third of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour calendar and a vital pathway to the LIV Golf League. With such a tightly packed leaderboard, Sunday promises high drama and championship-caliber golf in Chiba.
