Trump gets credit from Barbasol winner Herman
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – A putt that Jim Herman waited more than three hours to hit scooted past the hole, leaving nearly 9 feet back for par.
With Herman still cold from a weather delay and a car alarm going off in the neighborhood, it was far from ideal, much like most of Sunday’s round.
Herman, nonetheless, rolled it in. Clutch putts proved the difference as Herman edged Kelly Kraft by one stroke to win the Barbasol Championship at Keene Trace Golf Club near Lexington.
Par was good enough for Herman to win a PGA Tour event that had been a low-scoring birdie-fest for much of the week. Kraft bogeyed No. 16 and No. 17 to blow a one-shot lead, allowing Herman to win with a 6-foot par on No. 17 and a two-putt par to cheers on the 18th green.
“In golf, you do not know what to expect,” said the 41-year-old tour veteran who’d been in a prolonged slump entering the week. “Having won, I always knew I could do it again. I’m just glad I had the opportunity.”
Herman finished with a 26-underpar 262 to earn his second PGA Tour title. Kraft missed out on what would have been his first title by finishing at 25 under. Both shot 2-under 70 Sunday.
As the round had progressed, it became clear Herman had become the favorite of a moderately sized group of fans following the final group.
Perhaps it was friends and family members. Herman is a Cincinnati native who played for the University of Cincinnati and carries a worn-out bearcat headcover in his bag.
Perhaps it was the “Trump National” lettering on that bag. A former assistant pro at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey, Herman has been a playing partner of President Donald Trump, who once encouraged him to try for the PGA Tour.
Trump called Herman on Friday night after he’d played his way into the lead in Kentucky. And it was Trump, Herman said, who offered putting tips recently that helped turn the golfer’s form after missing cuts in seven of his previous eight tournaments.
“It’s pretty amazing I’ve had this relationship with him,” he said of Trump. “I’m very fortunate I get to play a little golf with him. He inspires me, I guess. I played golf with (him) right before (winning in) Houston, and I played golf with him two weeks ago before this event.”
Herman now has a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, a remarkable turn of events for a player who was looking at dropping off the tour next year.
“You never know what everyone’s thinking when you’re in your 40s and the game is not always there,” Herman said. “Sometimes you think, ‘Oh, I’ve got two kids and wife at home. I’ve had some really good success, and maybe it’s going to be my time to be done.’
“I guess we can delay that for a while.”