Jim Herman wins Houston Open for 1st PGA Tour win, Masters berth
Anytime is a good time for your first PGA Tour win.
However, for Jim Herman, there really could not have been a better time than Sunday at the Shell Houston Open.
Staring down Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, among others, Herman won by a shot at Golf Club of Houston for his first PGA Tour win in 106 career starts. With the win, not only does he earn $1.22 million, Herman also earns the final invitation to next week’s Masters.
“This is crazy,” Herman said. “So, I’ve dreamed of this for a long and now it’s here.”
The 38-year-old former assistant pro at Trump National in New Jersey shot a final round of 4-under 68 to hold on for a one-shot win over Stenson at 15-under 273.
Jordan Spieth shot 2-under 70 in the final round to finish in a tie for 13th with, among others, Phil Mickelson. Rickie Fowler was part of the tie for 10th place, along with Patrick Reed.
All of those players were already in the Masters, with a trip down Magnolia Lane long Sharpie’d in on the calendar. Herman had no earthly idea it would be a last-minute addition to his.
“There’s no way to plan for that anyway,” said Herman. “You know, it’s not like I brought an extra week’s worth of clothes.
“It’s just going to be flying by the seat of my pants, I guess, for the next 24 hours.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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