Sydneysider Matt Jones made it four wins in seven weeks on the PGA Tour for Australian-born golfers when he brilliantly holed a 46-foot birdie putt and a 42-yard chip shot on the Shell Houston Open’s final two holes to earn his first PGA Tour victory.
Jones’ chip-in came on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff in against the hapless American Matt Kuchar on the Golf Club of Houston course in suburban Humble.
It is also the second week in succession a ‘Down Under’ golfer has come out on top on the world’s greatest stage with Jones following in the footsteps of Queensland’s Steven Bowditch who kept Kuchar at arm’s length to win last week’s Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.
s Matt Jones handed the Shell Houston Open trophy by former US President George Bush.
Handing Jones the gleaming Shell Houston Open crystal trophy was former US President George Bush.
It is Australia’s best-ever start on the PGA Tour and it means Jones is now the seventh Australian to earn his way into this week’ Masters.
“Going to Augusta is amazing,” said Jones. “The win means everything to me right now because that’s what we play for is to win and to have Augusta as a reward for that win is amazing.”
And the Oyster Bay born, who is a mad Canberra Raiders NRL fan, was not hanging around Houston heading to nearby George Bush International Airport to board a special United Airlines charter flight direct to Augusta, Georgia with many of those who competed in Houston, including American Hunter Mahan and his young family, on board.
However it was not to 10.30pm local time when the United flight finally arrived in Augusta and then it was a 45-minute delay waiting for baggage.
Jones was yawning profusely as he waited for his clubs and bag arrived.
“I’m just worn out and want to hit the sack,” he said.
“It’s been such a long day and also I hardly slept at all last night. I’ve also got a lot of media work in the morning but then that’s the great side, I guess about winning.”
The list of Australian winners this year on the PGA Tour reads:-
- Jason Day – WGC Accenture Match -Play Championship
- John Senden – Valspar Championship
- Steven Bowditch – Valero Texas Open
- Matt Jones – Shell Houston Open
And the four join defending Masters winner Adam Scott, Marc Leischman and amateur Oliver Goss in what is now one of the biggest non-American representations at the famed Augusta National course.
And when one considers how well Scott competed in the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational it could have been an unprecedented four wins in succession on the PGA Tour for Aussie golfers.
In fact, it is the first time Aussies have won back-to-back on the PGA Tour since Scott captured the 2010 Valero Texas Open and Day broke through for his maiden PGA Tour success in the following week’s Colonial.
Jones also joins a who’s who of Australian golfers to have won the prestigious Shell Houston Open title:-
- Bruce Devlin – 1972
- Bruce Crampton – 1973 & 1975
- David Graham 1983
- Stuart Appleby – 1999 & 2006
- Robert Allenby – 2000
- Adam Scott – 2007
And take nothing away from Kuchar who, despite losing out a week ago to Bowditch, was looking to become only the third player among the world’s top-15 to win on this year’s 2013/14 PGA Tour wraparound schedule.
As well, Kuchar is a great fan of Australia and if was Greg Norman’s recommendation he and his wife spend their honeymoon on Lizard Island on the Barrier Reef.
Matt Jones celebrates on the fairway after holing out for birdie on the eighteenth hole during the final round of the Shell Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston. (Photo – www.pgatour.com)
Jones won after Kuchar was unable to hole out from the greenside bunker at No. 18, site of the play-off’s first hole.
Both players ended regulation play on 15-under par with Jones shooting a 66 and Kuchar a level par 72.
Jones, who played in Sunday’s second-to-last group, was two shots behind after driving into a hazard on the 17th hole, but holed a lengthy birdie putt on No. 18. Kuchar still had a one-shot lead as he stood in the 18th fairway, but hit his 214-yard approach shot into water left of the green. He got up-and-down from 64 yards to force a playoff.
Jones’ drive on the first playoff hole went into a fairway bunker, while Kuchar hit the fairway. Both players hit their approach shots right of the green.
The victory is the first of Jones’ career. He finished 32nd in the 2013 FedExCup, lipping out a 6-foot putt on the final hole of the BMW Championship that cost him a spot in the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. Players who advance to the TOUR Championship earn invitations to the Masters.
Jones made amends for that near-miss with his Shell Houston Open victory and with victory earning him the very last invitation into the year’s first Major at Augusta.
And while thrilled to secure his first PGA Tour win and a first debut in the Masters his biggest problem now is finding accommodation in Augusta.
“I was going home to play with my 2-year-old and 3-week-old,” said Jones.
“So, bit of a change now that I think they’ll be on a plane to Augusta as well. We’ve got to find a house.”
However as Jones sat at Gate C-17 awaiting his flight to Augusta his main concern also was arranging flights for his family to travel from Sydney to join him at the ‘Golfing Cathedral in the Pines”.
