Journeyman Jim Herman, Donald Trump's golf buddy, wins first PGA Tour event at age 38
A first-time winner. A trip to The Masters.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 3, 2016
Jim Herman claims the Shell Houston Open in his 106th start. #QuickHits https://t.co/4rUm3z0Qak
Jim Herman might be the most interesting man on the PGA Tour.
And you'll get to hear a lot about him for the next two years after Sunday's win at the Shell Houston Open.
The journeyman golfer, who didn't play on the PGA Tour full-time until he was 34, earned his first PGA Tour victory at age 38 on Sunday, posting a final-round 68 to finish the week at minus-15.
The win gave Herman a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour — huge for a player who was frequently the last man in the field — and a spot in the Masters, which starts Thursday.
"Sorry for the tears, but I'm pretty happy."
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 3, 2016
Jim Herman never thought he'd make it to The Masters. https://t.co/G1OBantNUI
Herman, who played collegiately at Cincinnati, played mini-tours until he was 27, but gave up on his PGA Tour dream until he received a vote of confidence from a bizarre source: Donald Trump. (Yeah, the one who is running for President.)
Wait, what?
Well, in 2006, Herman was an assistant professional at the Trump National-Bedminster club in New Jersey, when he played a round with the namesake tycoon himself.
Herman qualified for the development tour the next year, and in 2011, he made the PGA Tour.
Herman and Trump have remained close since that fateful round in New Jersey. According to NBC's broadcast Sunday, Herman played a round with Trump as recently as last week.
Next week, Herman will be playing at Augusta National.
The win was Herman's second in 191 events between the development tour and the PGA. He had won once on the Web.com tour.
Jim Herman is 208th in strokes gained: putting this season.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 3, 2016
This week, he's 4th. https://t.co/r43m6CAkhh pic.twitter.com/dt1ux7xx5h
