Herman wins Masters spot with victory in Houston

Jim Herman delivered a masterful performance at just the right time Sunday in the Shell Houston Open.

Herman, winless in 105 previous starts on the PGA Tour, chipped in for birdie on the par-3 16th and finished with two solid pars for a 4-under 68 and a one-shot victory that sends him to the Masters for the first time in his career.

Herman tapped in for par and thrust both fists in the air after his one-shot win over Henrik Stenson.

“Sorry for the tears, but I’m pretty happy,” Herman said in his TV interview. “We really did a good job keeping our game plan. We wanted to give ourselves as many birdie chances as we could and keep it low stress. And geez, look what happened. Never thought it was possible.”

The Houston Open was the final opportunity for players to get into the Masters, and Herman seemed like a long shot at No. 191 in the world whose only professional victory was six years ago at the Moonah Classic in Australia.

Stenson missed an 18-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 68 to finish one shot behind. It was the Swede’s eighth runner-up finish since his last victory in Dubai at the end of 2014.

Dustin Johnson tried to overcome a double bogey on the 11th hole. He made three birdies coming in, but had to settle for a 69 and was two shots back.

Jordan Spieth made four straight birdies early in his round, but two shots into the water led to double bogeys and a 70. He was seven back in a tie for 13th.

Graham DeLaet was the top Canadian, finishing tied for 27th. The Weyburn, Sask., native shot a 5-under 283. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., tied for 46th at 2-under.

It was the third time since 2008 that a player won the Houston Open to get into the Masters, and Herman might be the most unlikely of all.

Ten years ago, Herman was working as an assistant pro at Trump Bedminster in New Jersey when he played one day with course owner and Republican presidential candidate front-runner Donald Trump, who wanted to know why he was folding shirts instead of competing against the best. Trump encouraged him to give it another shot, and Herman eventually made it out to the PGA Tour.

This is his fifth full season in the big leagues, and he still wears “Trump” on his golf shirts.