A career-best season and a major breakthrough weren’t enough to keep Lucas Herbert at LIV Golf. The 30-year-old Australian won twice on LIV in 2026, recorded the lowest round in men’s major history at Royal Birkdale, and finished inside the top four of the individual standings. Still, when the league sought his commitment to its revamped 2027 format, he turned it down.

Until now, his reasons for leaving had remained unclear. But that changed on the Tee It Up podcast, where Herbert sat down with host Q Nolan and explained what LIV’s plans for next season meant for him.

“And LIV was going to be, from what it sounds like, 10 tournaments. They’re telling us there could potentially be more events outside of those as extra playing opportunities, but I’m unsure how they’re going to make that work. I’m unsure what kind of fields they’ll be able to produce, given every other tour is going to sanction pretty heavily,” Herbert said on the show.

“So, 10 events isn’t enough to build a season around. I was playing 20 events over the last three years, and I found that was a really good volume. You could maybe sneak a couple more in there, but the more you play, the lower the quality tends to be. It’s quality over quantity.

“For me, it purely came down to the fact that 10 events isn’t going to be enough golf, and it isn’t going to give me enough access to the majors. Right now, that’s the priority in my career, and that’s how I’ve formulated the decision I’ve come to.” He added.

It is a notable turn from the player who signed up in January 2024. Herbert, 28, had signed just days before the league’s season opener in Mayakoba. He joined an all-Australian team alongside Cameron Smith. There was plenty to like about the move then. The package included $20 million prize purses, elite fields, opportunities to play in front of home fans, and a signing bonus. Herbert admitted those incentives played a part in his decision.

Ripper GC also enjoyed an impressive debut season, winning in Adelaide and Singapore before claiming the league’s team title. At the time, LIV appeared to be delivering on its promise.

But the landscape has since shifted. LIV’s 14-event schedule this year offered the kind of playing volume Herbert had grown accustomed to. For 2027, however, that is expected to fall to just 10 events, with purses reportedly dropping to between $7 million and $9 million.

That leaves players with fewer opportunities to compete and smaller potential paydays. There is also the question of Herbert’s outstanding money. He is listed as an unsecured creditor in LIV’s bankruptcy case for more than a million dollars. With the league’s future uncertain, exploring alternatives made sense.

Herbert also has a playing record that gives him reason to look beyond LIV. He won the 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship on the PGA Tour and has three DP World Tour titles to his name. His career-high world ranking stands at No. 40, and he is back inside the top 50. At 30, he still has plenty of competitive golf ahead of him.

The PGA Tour, however, will not be an option in 2027. LIV players face a one-year suspension, and Herbert acknowledged that restriction without any resentment.

“Obviously the PGA Tour was not an option for me in 2027 with its rules and regulations, which there’s no complaint about. We knew exactly what we are signing up for when we went to LIV. So my option was probably going to be the DP World Tour or stay with LIV.”

Herbert has opted for Europe, where he already has an established record. He won the 2020 Dubai Desert Classic in a playoff over Christian Bezuidenhout, the 2021 Irish Open wire-to-wire, and the 2023 ISPS Handa Championship in Japan.

However, a DP World Tour return is not guaranteed. CEO Guy Kinnings has said LIV 2.0 players will not receive membership, with applications closing November 16. Despite two LIV wins this year, Herbert has no current status on the tour. He acknowledged the deadline but said the DP World Tour had been accommodating in discussing a possible return for 2027.

That said, Herbert has one more motive. The PGA Tour may be out of reach for now, but the goal behind that ambition is not.

Lucas Herbert wants more majors

That ambition goes back to his experience at Royal Birkdale. His performance there helped him realize what he wants most from the next phase of his career.

“I think I realized that was what I enjoyed. I’m competitive as hell, and I love winning, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that I actually don’t just love winning. I love competing more than winning… For me, I earned plenty of money on LIV, and obviously, this year was a healthy one for me on that side of things, too. So, I’m not super caught up in how much money I play for.”

“But genuinely, for me, I wanted to see my game improve. I wanted to give myself the best chance to play well in majors, compete in majors, and have opportunities like I had at Birkdale this year.”

His results at The Open explain why that week left such an impression. Herbert shot a second-round 62 to take the lead before finishing tied for sixth, four shots behind Ryan Fox. It was his best major result, surpassing his T13 at the 2022 PGA Championship. It also ended a difficult stretch in which he had not made a major cut since the 2024 PGA Championship.

The T6 earned him around $550,000, a fraction of the $4 million LIV winner’s cheque. Yet the experience meant far more to him than the difference in prize money. Herbert narrowly missed the top-five finish he said would have secured him entry into all four majors. He admitted it was “annoying” to face another year without an Open appearance, although his top-10 finish at Royal Birkdale has already secured his place at next year’s championship at St Andrews.

Augusta is a different matter. Herbert missed the cut in his only Masters appearance in 2022, and his route back now runs through the world rankings. A fuller schedule and stronger fields could allow him to climb back into contention. For Herbert, that chance to compete at the highest level is worth more than what LIV’s reduced calendar can offer.