Sung Kang couldn’t figure out how to play on the weekend.
Rickie Fowler is still busy wiping the puke off his Pumas.
What no one anticipated on Sunday at the Shell Houston Open was Russell Henley coming out like a nitro-fueled rocket car.
Henley put 10 birdies on his scorecard and simply wiped out the would-be contenders.
The field teed off mid-morning thanks to a grim weather forecast that had massive storms threatening the Houston area late Sunday.
It proved a good move, especially for Henley, who shot a 65 that could have been even better had it not been for a double-bogey at the ninth and a bogey at the 72nd hole. But by the time Henley got to 18, he had a four-shot cushion over Kang, who set records over the first two days but shot 71-72 to finish and that took away his bid for a first PGA Tour win and a trip to The Masters.
Instead, it will be Henley who takes the 94th spot in the field, the one vacated by the withdrawal by Tiger Woods last Friday evening.
Henley’s 10-birdies on the day yielded a closing 65 that got him to 20-under, three better than Kang and four ahead of third place finishers Fowler and Luke List.
“I tried to go into it with the mentality that I could do it and win it,” Henley said of his approach to the final 18 holes. “And I started to believe it,” he added. His clubs convinced him. He shot three-under going out despite the double-bogey at nine. He blew past everyone with five back birdies and punched his ticket to Augusta, picking up his third PGA Tour victory in the process.
“It hasn’t quite hit me yet that I’ve earned a spot in the Masters,” Henley said as he picked up the trophy.
Maybe when he drives down Magnolia Lane on Monday it will.
