GREENSBORO, NC – Jim Herman’s has a plan to keep his PGA Tour career flourishing – playing more rounds with President Donald Trump.
Every time Herman plays golf with the president, shortly after he lifts a trophy.
It happened in 2016 with his breakthrough victory at the Houston Open, again before he won the Barbasol Tournament last year – and now for Herman’s improbable rally Sunday at the Wyndham Championships to make the FedEx Cup playoffs.
“He’s been a big fan of mine,” Herman said of Trump, his regular golf partner while working as an assistant professional at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey. “I need to play golf with him a little more.”
Herman gave the president enough to cheer over the weekend, a victory even the 42-year-old did not see coming.
“This was out of the blue. I’ll tell you that,” Herman said.
Herman shot a 7-under 63 for a 1-win over Billy Horschel, and overcame a 4-stroke deficit in the final round at Sedgefield Country Club. Herman stepped past Horschel with a birdie on the 71st hole.
A mutual friend passed on Saturday the best wishes, Herman said. He had not heard of Trump yet. “You never know what might happen tonight or tomorrow morning,” Herman said. “There were some rumors that he really saw.”
Herman finished 21st under 259.
Horschel closed with a 65. He had one last chance to ban on the 72nd hole, but his 8-foot bird pit moved to the left of the cup.
Herman made it to the playoffs, jumping from 192 to 54th in the race for the 125 spots.
Si Woo Kim, the leader of the third round, had a 70 to tie for third at 18 under with Kevin Kisner (64), Webb Simpson (65) and Doc Redman (68).
Herman had two birds and a noble – of 59 feet – on his first five holes to pick up Kim. Then, pursued by Horschel through a stroke, Herman stepped up his approach to no. 17 at just 3 feet for a bird to reach 21 below. He took the lead when Horschel missed a 12-foot for par at 16.
It was a full week for Herman, who had three birdies over his last four holes on Friday to just make the cut. He followed that up with a career-low 61 on Saturday to get into striking distance before taking the win.
He had come up with a bad performance at a PGA Championship and could not find the fairway here early. “This is going to be a very fast week if we don’t figure this out,” he told his caddy.
His next tea shot split the fairway and Herman was off and running.
Horschel looked like he was the one to run when he moved from 3 shots behind Kim to the lead with a birdie-eagle-birdie run on the front nine, while Kim wrestled with a double bogey and a bogey over his first eight holes.
Horschel had an 11-foot for bird that did not fall on the 17th hole before his miss on no. 18.
“A little disappointed,” he said. “I had two good looks on the last two holes and the way I rolled, I thought I would make one of them.”
Kim was a birdie machine with 21 birdies and a hole-in-one the first three rounds. But he stumbled out of the gate and a few bad discs cost him his first win since The Players Championship in 2017.
He rode right into a thick grass danger on the sixth hole and, despite six people searching, could not find his ball. Kim made double bogey to fall from the top.
Two holes later, Kim would go up near a bridge of a carriageway for a bogey to drop 4 shots from the lead.
.
