Ortiz wins LIV Golf Houston, Australian Herbert ranks sixth

Australian Lucas Herbert recorded his best result on the LIV Golf Tour, finishing tied for sixth in Houston.

The 28-year-old Victorian shot a 69 in the final round on Sunday to finish the tournament at 10 under, five shots behind winner Carlos Ortiz.

It was Ortiz’s first victory in a Saudi-financed championship and his second major victory in the Houston area.

The Mexican finished with a 6-under 67 to beat Poland’s Adrian Meronk by one stroke at the Golf Club of Houston. Ortiz won the 2020 Houston Open at Memorial Park for his only PGA Tour title.

Ortiz, who made six birdies, including three in a row on holes 6 through 8, chipped for bogey on No. 18 to hold on for the victory.

“Don’t do it because people were going to get mad at me, so I just made sure I did it,” he said.

“No kidding, I worked on these chips. It’s easy right now. I don’t even know what I did. It was an easy chip.

“But I love playing here. Obviously Texas treats me well. It’s my adopted state. I’m just happy to start again in Houston.

“I think there was a change there on 15 that I made a birdie, he made a bogey, and I just knew I had to make par, and it was mine. is what I was trying to do.”

Part of a four-way tie for the lead entering the day, Ortiz, 33, finished at 15-under 201.

Meronk, who joined LIV Golf this year, shot a 68 to help Cleeks GC win the team title.

Area resident Patrick Reed (68) tied for third with Spaniard David Puig (69), while Sergio Garcia (68) finished fifth with 11.

Herbert made five birdies in his third and final round, but bogeys at the 11th and 18th left him tied with India’s Anirban Lahiri (68) and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell (69) at 10 under.

Marc Leishman (70) at four under, Matt Jones (73) at one under and Cam Smith (80) at four over helped the all-Australian Ripper GC team to finish 10th.

On Saturday, Jon Rahm withdrew after playing just six holes due to an infection in his left foot, leaving his status uncertain for next week’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

With AAP and Reuters.