Jones earns Masters return
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — When Matt Jones won his first PGA Tour title seven years ago, he needed a 45-foot birdie putt just to get into a playoff and then a 40-yard chip-in to take the victory.
This win was far less dramatic yet just as meaningful. It got him back to the Masters.
Jones won the Honda Classic by five shots Sunday, a final round of two-underpar 68 good enough to finish the week at 12-under 268 at PGA National. The margin matched the largest in tournament history, tying the mark set by Jack Nicklaus in 1977 and matched by Camilo Villegas in 2010.
“It’s been a tough seven years,” Jones said. “I’ve had ups and I’ve had downs, as all golfers have, but it gets me into a lot of big tournaments now.”
The 40-year-old Australian earned $1.26 million, and this time he will have more than a day to prepare for the trip to Augusta National. His victory at the Houston Open in 2014 — and his Masters invite — came just one day before he had to go to Augusta, making it a scramble to get family and friends together to share in the experience.
The Masters starts April 8, so he’s got much more time to plan this one.
“It’s going to be nice,” Jones said. “I can go prep for the Masters this time. Last time, it was an absolute blur. I can’t remember a thing about it, so I’m going to do some prep this time before.”
Jones started the week with a course-record-tying round of nine-under 61. He was three shots behind Aaron Wise after 36 holes after a second-round 70, and his round of 69 on Saturday was good enough to put him up by three entering Sunday.
Brandon Hagy (66) finished seven under and alone in second on his 30th birthday, his chance at winning doomed by a third-round 76. Chase Seiffert (64), Brendan Steele (65), C.T. Pan (70), Denny McCarthy (67) and Russell Henley (68) tied for third at six under.
“There’s a lot of tough holes out there and there’s big stakes for sure, but I’ve been working on some good stuff and it’s nice to see some of that pan out,” Hagy said.
Phil Mickelson started three under through three holes and finished with a 70, two under for the tournament. “I was really impressed with the golf course,” Mickelson said.