Herman wins Houston Open to earn Masters invite
Svoboda rallies for title in Brazil
LOS ANGELES, April 4, (RTRS): American journeyman Jim Herman earned a lastminute invitation to the Masters when he secured a one-stroke victory at the Houston Open on Sunday.
Herman, whose event preparation included a social round with US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, shed tears of joy after carding a closing four-under-par 68 at the Golf Club of Houston in Humble, Texas.
And he wasted no time giving partial credit to Trump for even being on tour, after spending years in the golfing wilderness.
“He helped me financially, wrote me a check. He gave me a lot of confidence,” Herman, who was a teaching pro at Trump National in New Jersey a decade ago, told reporters. Herman seized his moment with a chip-in birdie at the 16th hole to take the lead, before closing with flawless pars at the final two holes, tapping in his winning putt from two feet to finish at 15-under 273.
Swede Henrik Stenson (68) finished in second place after missing an 18-foot birdie putt at the last.
Herman, 38, has never played the Mas- ters and had not come close to winning in 105 career starts on the PGA Tour.
“I never thought it was possible,” Herman said, his voice cracking with emotion.
He described how far he had come after being forced back to the tour qualifying school seven times after being unable to keep his card.
“This would never have been possible two years ago,” he said. “There were some shots I couldn’t have hit under the pressure. I was pretty low with my game. I couldn’t get out of my own way.
“I’m pretty proud of myself, first time in the final group to get up there and bring it home. I was not given the tournament. I played really well, nine-under on the weekend.”
He also spoke of his relationship with Trump, and how they teamed up for a round last Saturday in Palm Beach, Florida.
“He was my partner. I played really well. I shot eight-under.”
Jim Herman of the United States celebrates his victory on the 18th green during the final round of the Shell Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston on April
3, in Humble, Texas. (AFP)
Stenson, meanwhile, posted his eighth runner-up finish on the PGA Tour, to go with four victories.
One of the best players never to have won a major, he will head to Augusta at least in the knowledge that his game is in good shape.
Jordan Spieth (70), who will open defense of his Masters title on Thursday, double-bogeyed the final hole and finished seven strokes off the pace.
Andrew Svoboda rallied to win the Web.com Tour’s Brazil Champions on Sunday, closing with a birdie to overcome a one-stroke deficit to Bhavik Patel.
Svoboda birdied the par-4 18th for a 4-under 67, and Patel closed with a bogey to finish a stroke back in his second event since returning for a doping suspension and hip injury.
The 36-year-old Svoboda finished at 23-under 261 at Sao Paulo Golf Club and earned $126,000 for his third career Web. com Tour title. He won twice on the tour in 2013 and tied for second in 2014 in the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The former St. John’s player is from Larchmont, New York.
The 25-year-old Patel, a former Fresno State player from Bakersfield, California, also closed with a 67. He sat out last season after being suspended for violating the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy.
Patel tied Svoboda with a par on the par3 15th, and pulled ahead with a birdie on the par-4 16th.
Anders Albertson was third at 20 under after a 66. He birdied three of the last four holes.
Martin Flores birdied the final two holes for a 68 to finish third at 19 under.
Ryan Armour and Sebastian Cappelen were 18 under. Armour birdied the last two holes for 65. He won the season-opening event in Panama and leads the money list with $158,176. Cappelen, from Switzerland, shot a 68.
Miguel Angel Jimenez shot an 8-under 64 to win the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic by two strokes on Sunday.
Jimenez started the day in third place, three shots behind the leader Scott Dunlap. But the 52-year-old from Spain took control on the tournament’s final day thanks to a bogey-free round that included four straight birdies from No. 10 to No. 13.