“And, jeez, look what happened – I never thought this was possible”.
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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.
A chip-in for par on the 16th hole Sunday and a pair of closing pars gave him a one-shot victory over Henrik Stenson, earning both the Masters invite – and perhaps more importantly for Herman – a two-year PGA Tour exemption. Since his last victory – the DP World Tour Championship of 2014, he has been runner-up on eight occasions.
Dustin Johnson tried to overcome a double bogey on the 11th. “That last drive, the last three shots, that wasn’t an easy two-putt, it’s up on a hill and something like 20 feet”.
In a back-and-forth battle, Stenson had briefly taken the lead with a birdie at 13 and was tied for the lead after a birdie at 15. The defending Masters champion played his first seven Sunday holes in five under par, leaving him with an outside chance of challenging for the tournament.
“Everything is checked, I need to put it together and not hit every ball in the water”, Spieth said.
Ko’s three-under-par 69 left her at 12 under for the tournament, one clear of England’s Charley Hull and South Korea’s Chun In-Gee.
“He’s like, ‘Donald, we won convincingly yesterday and you dump me.’ A couple holes later, he said, ‘Well, I see why you dumped me Mr. Trump'”.
“Jason Day closes his eyes before every shot, a routine he’s utilized for years to visualize the swing he wants to make…When he opens his eyes, there are numerous visible signs confirming that nobody, currently, is playing better golf than the 28-year-old from Australia”.
Ko won the final major last season, the Evian Championship in September in France, and took the LPGA Tour event last week in Carlsbad (San Diego County).
EUROPEAN TOUR: Miguel Angel Jimenez shot an 8-under 64 to win the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic by two strokes in Saucier, Mississippi.
Jimenez started the day in third place, three shots behind Scott Dunlap. The first round was moved to Saturday after heavy rain wiped out play on Friday at Fallen Oak. Tom Pernice Jr., Jeff Maggert and Jerry Smith were five shots behind Jimenez to finish in a tie for third.
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The day before Easter, Herman played a round of golf with Trump at Trump International in West Palm Beach against Dana Quigley, an 11-time victor on the PGA Tour Champions and John Nieporte, the Director of Golf at Trump International. Herman never showed any nerves on Sunday playing from the front for the first time in a final round, with just one bogey on the card and a blemish free back nine 33. “He’s a great golf partner”. But I don’t think that’s happening. “But I’m much happier that God gave him the gift to do this”.
