Still riding the wave of momentum that came with becoming the first player to win three times in a season on two separate occasions, this particular graduate has seemingly found his feet on The European Tour after two top 30 finishes in his first four starts.
The first of those came at the Alfred Dunhill Championship last December, where his two under par total for 72 holes at Leopard Creek saw him finish in a tie for 28th, before he really proved his mettle last month in Doha.
His level par opening salvo at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters would prove a solid foundation on which to build an impressive week for the Moliets resident, following it up with three rounds in the 60s to finish in the top ten on The European Tour for only the third time in his career, a feat which particularly pleased Hebert.
“I was very happy as it is was virtually the first tournament of the year, so it was very good to start like that,” said the 27 year old, who finished second to Andrew Johnston in the Challenge Tour Rankings last year. “I played very solid, my putting was very good, so it was a lot fun. To finish in the top ten was also great, but I expect more this year. The French team is very strong at the moment, and seeing that has been inspiring.”
There is no doubt though as to where this particular Gallic talent has honed his skills, and that is on the Challenge Tour, a circuit he credits as being the perfect proving ground.
Few players in recent memory have had quite as much second tier success as Hebert, with the Frenchman now tied for third in the all-time list of winners on the Tour, thanks to six tournament titles in as many years.
The three most recent of those came in the second half of last year, first at the Norwegian Challenge in August, before the following month yielded another victory on home soil at the Open Blue Green Cotes d’Armor Bretagne. That assured him of his return to the top table, but his season-ending triumph at the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club rubber stamped it.
Now Hebert is focused on finally transferring that form onto the big stage having never finished higher than 142nd on The Race to Dubai, back in 2010.
“It is nice to play on the Challenge Tour, but it is even better to play on The European Tour, as it is where you want to be. Now I have to be sure I practise to stay on the Tour, otherwise I will have to go back, practise more, and try to graduate once again,” said Hebert, who also won three titles in 2011.
“I feel more prepared this time than my previous two seasons, as last year was a very solid year throughout, but the last four months were especially good. I felt confident that everything was going to work the same from the start of this year, so I just want to stay focused and be the same man, practise the simple things, and not change anything.
“I was on the Tour via the Q-School first of all, and then I graduated through the Rankings with my three wins, but at the start of last year I was just playing okay. I wasn’t being aggressive enough and didn’t have the confidence, but the thing is that when you feel you are playing well, you play more aggressively and with confidence, and that works.
“I played very well in South Africa, but after the break for Christmas it has been so-so, as in France it was very cold, so that is what happened in Abu Dhabi as I played very badly there. It was good to have that weekend to work though and then head to Qatar, where I worked a little more, and now it feels good.
“The Challenge Tour is a great thing. You play 20-plus tournaments a year, all around the world, and to be on The European Tour is the same thing. The courses are more difficult and the players are better though, so you have to be more focused on yourself and keep practising to be better.”
If that hard work were to prove enough for Hebert to find his feet on The European Tour, then it would be no surprise if he were to join the current French revolution taking the game by storm.
He said: “All of the French guys are very close. I don’t know Gary (Stal) very well, as he is younger than me and we didn’t play any amateur golf together, but we all know him. He is a good player, strong mentally, and his win (in Abu Dhabi) was a good experience for him.
“Victor (Dubuisson) showed the way two years ago, and now Alex (Levy) has won twice, which spurs you on. We all have dinner every night together, as it is like a family out here, and this is what we need.”
