Lucas Herbert has successfully qualified for the 153rd Open Championship, giving Australia a nine-strong contingent at Royal Portrush. Herbert will play just his second major golf championship in two years after topping final qualifying at West Lancashire with an eight-under-par, two-round total to clinch medallist honours by one stroke from China's Sampson Zheng. Since joining compatriots Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman on LIV Golf's Ripper GC team last year, the 2024 PGA Championship, where he tied for 43rd, has been Herbert's lone major appearance. But the reigning NSW Open champion has been the team's most consistent performer this year. Although, he narrowly missed earning an Open exemption at the Australian Open and New Zealand Open as well as the International Series Macau earlier this season. "I'm super excited to be going to Portrush. I love playing in the Open," Herbert said. "For us Australians, it was the major we watched overnight growing up. It's really cool [to] be playing in another one and joining my teammates, Cam Smith and Marc Leishman, there. "I've made it hard on myself just missing out on qualifying before now, but I've finally got there. I had chances in Australia, Macau and New Zealand and I couldn't finish it off, so it's definitely tested my patience. "I'm glad it's held out in the end." Herbert was the only Australian across four qualifying venues to earn a place at the Open from July 17-20. As well as Smith and the resurgent Leishman, the 29-year-old joins Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, Australasian Tour order of merit winner Elvis Smylie, Curtis Luck and New Zealand Open champion Ryan Peake at the season's final major. After making the halfway cut on his US major debut at the PGA Championship in May at Quail Hollow, Smylie said he was also fired up for Portrush. The 23-year-old has been poring over footage of the course and studying Irishman Shane Lowry's famous 2019 victory when Smith was the only Australian to make the weekend. "I've been watching the official film that they do every year. Just watching it gives me goosebumps," Smylie said on a Zoom call ahead of next week's Scottish Open. "I'm just really excited to embrace the Northern Irish crowd with Rory and Shane Lowry and a handful of other top players. "It will be really cool."