Journeyman Jim Herman wins in Houston to secure Masters invite

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

JIM HERMAN is 38 years old, the epitome of a journeyman professional. Before teeing up in the Shell Houston Open he had managed just one top 10 finish this season - in his entire career he has only managed that five times on the PGA Tour.  

He has been to tour school seven times. He has never contended, never finished in the top three. He doesn't hit the ball terribly far and gets little spin with his irons because he doesn't hit the ball hard enough. Oh yes, and a claw grip on the putter tells you that he is not a confident man on the greens either.

But they say that every dog has its dog. And on this day, on this golf course, in this tournament, Herman had his day and changed his life forever with what is surely the most unlikely victory the PGA Tour has seen this century. Bar none! He walks away from Houston with a cheque for more than $1m in his pocket and will be heading to Augusta to take part in The Masters. He started the week in 93rd place in the FedEx Cup standings - now he is 18th. It is a fairytale.

Last week he was playing golf with Donald Trump. Even Herman probably couldn't believe it when he started the final round tied for the lead. And with Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson breathing down his neck all day long, he surely didn't believe he had a prayer of winning.

Stenson joined Herman in the lead at 14 under par when he birdied the par-five 15th and seemed certain to give it straight back at the next, a par three, when he bunkered his tee shot. Getting within three feet of the hole would have been a brilliant shot - Stenson was six inches from holing it.

Up ahead, Johnson hit the 15th in two and narrowly missed his eagle attempt. But his birdie took him within a shot of Stenson and Herman. He hit a terrific shot at the 16th but couldn't convert and remained 13 under. A poor shot at the 17th meant he had to work hard to save his par. It meant the Dustinator moved to the 18th two adrift.

Herman played a dreadful shot at the 16th and found the rough beside the bunker. He would surely be happy to walk off the green with a par three. Instead, he holed the shot for a birdie to go to 15 under par and lead by one. He couldn't actually win this thing, could he?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzoJwXmqgro

Stenson, playing in the group immediately ahead of Herman, couldn't birdie the 17th either. The 18th hole is 480 yards long, a par four with water running all the way down the left and a long bunker on the right that was proving to be a very popular spot.

Herman still had two holes to play. He successfully negotiated the 17th, holing a three-foot putt for par. A back-up in play meant that he got to the final tee just in time to see Stenson rifle his drive down the middle of the fairway. The last thing he needed was a 10-minute wait, alone with his thoughts ahead of the toughest drive on the golf course.

Stenson hit his second shot to 15 feet but he couldn't make the putt. For the Swede it was yet another second-place finish to add to the four runner-up finishes he managed last year. He will go to Augusta in good form but surely frustrated that, once again, he has come up short. Johnson parred the last hole to finish third on 13 under.

One can only imagine what was going through Herman's mind as he stood on the 18th tee and prepared to hit his drive but he somehow managed to split the fairway. One more good swing was all he needed - and he found it, the ball finishing 20 feet short of the flag. All he had to was take two putts to get the ball into the hole. Sixteen years after turning professional he rolled his first putt to 18 inches and then holed out for par. He did it!

"I hit a lot of three woods today to keep the ball in play," he said. "I never thought it was possible for me to win and go to Augusta."

For a time it seemed that Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who finished third in the WGC Dell Matchplay, might be heading towards his first PGA Tour title. The Spaniard played brilliantly during a final round of 65 that took him to 12 under par. Over the weekend, nobody played better. Cabrera-Bello is one of the gutsiest, most determined of European golfers and is beginning to look like a shoo-in for the Ryder Cup.

Jordan Spieth, desperately searching for some form ahead of his defence of The Masters, got within a shot of the lead at one point during the front nine after five birdies in six holes. He couldn't keep it going, however, and a double-bogey at the 18th saw him finish on eight under par.

Phil Mickelson, with all four rounds under par, finished on the same total and said he felt good about his game and his form. "I hit a lot more drivers here than I normally would because I know I will need to be hitting that club well at Augusta," he said. "This is a totally different sort of golf course but I like to play the week before a major to get competitive and see what shape my game is in. I am happy."

Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUFgBC_KBqQ

In Jim Herman's Bag

- Driver: TaylorMade M1 460 / 10.5 / Aldila Rogue 

- Fairway: TaylorMade AeroBurner / 15 / Mitsubishi Fubuki

- Rescue: Adams Idea Pro / 20 / Matrix Ozik

- Headwear: TaylorMade Tour Radar Hat

For more information visit: www.taylormadegolf.com