Jim Herman hoping his Masters invite isn’t just a dream

AUGUSTA — This time last week Jim Herman’s Masters plans were similar to yours.

The 38-year-old panned to return home to Palm City, Fla. and watch golf’s first major of 2016 on his couch in front of the television.

Then he went out and shot 15-under for the week in Houston to win the Shell Houston Open and claim his first PGA Tour victory on Sunday. The first-place finish not only meant he wouldn’t be bouncing back and forth between the Web.com tour and the PGA Tour with a two-year tour exemption, but that he also had earned an invite to the Masters.

“Yeah I was planning on watching, for one,” he said on Monday. “I really enjoy watching the Masters. I’ve been a fan of golf my whole life, dreaming of playing here and now it’s happened… It was just going to be a week of rest, get some practice in and get ready for Hilton Head (next week). So that’s changed.”

Instead of returning to Florida Herman flew in to Atlanta on Monday to get register for the Masters as his family assembled from Florida and his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio to join him in Augusta.

This is Herman’s fifth season on the PGA Tour. After four unsuccessful Q-School attempts he took a job as a club pro in 2004 and in 2006 was hired at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey.

While on staff he met Donald Trump and has played with him numerous times since. When Herman won on Sunday Trump tweeted out a congratulations to his former employee.

“He’s been a big supporter of mine,” Herman said. “He helped me early on in my years financially and maybe just a little shot in the arm of confidence.”

In 2007 he finally earned his way on to he Web.com Tour. After bouncing back and fourth the last two years he finally finished high enough last season to keep his PGA Tour card. He played in the 2010 and 2013 U.S. Open, but this will be his first Masters.

“It’s a beautiful story,” 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson said. “It’s a beautiful example of perseverance and patience, stick-to-itiveness, as they say… The beauty of his story is you see any mini-tour kid or somebody that doesn’t have all the accolades, they watch his last four or five, fiver or six holes (on Sunday), it wasn’t given to him. You know what I mean? He went out and go it.”

As a Web.com Tour member Herman attended the 2008 Masters as a spectator. He was back in Augusta this November to play the course as a guest of member.

Now he’s back on Magnolia Lane, and he’s still waiting for someone to wake him up and tell him he’s got to get ready for the final round in Houston all over again.

“You want to dream, you want to believe that you’re going to make it,” Herman said. “But you just don’t know until it’s upon you. There were a lot of opportunities yesterday that in years past, I wouldn’t have been able to get through and hold on and win the tournament, and I wouldn’t be here obviously today. But I just think that shows how far I’ve come in the last two years or so, really committing to a game plan with my coaches and here we are.

“I feel like maybe I’m going to wake up and I’m going to still be on maybe Saturday night going into the final around again and I haven’t done it yet. But I don’t think that’s happening. I think we’re here. Can’t wait to get started.”