Benjamin Hébert is hoping consistency continues to be the key when he tees it up this week in the Black Desert NI Open presented by Tom McKibbin at Galgorm Castle Golf Club.
The Frenchman has impressed through the first half of the season to sit 13th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings through 16 of the 29-event schedule, as he looks to secure a return to the DP World Tour.
The 37-year-old has recorded four top ten finishes in that time, including a solo second place finish on home soil in the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge last month, and after enduring a challenging few years, is pleased that his hard work is beginning to pay off.
“I think this season, consistency has been the strongest part of my game,” he said. “I did some good work during the winter, and it looks like it’s working.
“Over the last two years, I had some great rounds but then the day after it was very bad, but I think I’m managing that much better.
“On the Challenge Tour, we’re here to get in the top 20, to get a card for the DP World Tour, and for that you need very good results.
“Last month in Pléneuf in France I finished 12th which didn’t give me loads of points, but gave me a lot of confidence going to Le Vaudreuil where I finished solo second which has put me in a good position.”
Hébert is expecting testing conditions in Northern Ireland, but is relishing the prospect with the wind set to swirl in Co. Antrim.
“It’s definitely a different game this week to the one we played last week and even at the start of the year in the UAE or India,” he added. “I like these kind of conditions though.
“You have to shape the ball, playing low or high, draws and fades, and you really have to adapt your game based on the conditions. I think that’s what golf is all about.
“This week and next week, the courses are good for me and I’ve played them before, so hopefully my experience and my consistency will help me get some good results.”
Hébert is part of a strong field at Galgorm which includes the top five players in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, including Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Englishman John Parry and Spaniard Joel Moscatel, who have all won twice this season.
Round one gets under way at 7:30am local time with Hébert teeing off alongside Irishman Conor O’Rourke and Welshman Rhys Enoch at 1:40pm.
