Shell Houston Open 2016: Leaderboard Scores, Prize-Money Payouts

With numerous stars giving chase as he pursued his first PGA Tour victory at age 38, Jim Herman didn't let the pressure get to him in Sunday's final round of the Shell Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston.

Herman fired a four-under 68 and chipped in for birdie at the par-three 16th to edge out Henrik Stenson by one stroke in Humble, Texas. He took home a winner's paycheck of $1,224,000 and so much more in terms of career opportunities.  

Check out the top earners from what was a magnificent conclusion to the tournament that precedes the Masters:

Pos.	Player	Scores	To Par	Prize Money
1	Jim Herman	69-69-67-68	-15	$1,224,000
2	Henrik Stenson	69-71-66-68	-14	$734,400
3	Dustin Johnson	65-71-70-69	-13	$462,400
4	Rafa Cabrera Bello	71-72-68-65	-12	$326,400
T5	Daniel Berger	67-74-70-66	-11	$258,400
T5	Russell Henley	70-68-68-71	-11	$258,400
T7	Charles Howell III	69-69-72-68	-10	$211,933
T7	Chez Reavie	66-70-72-70	-10	$211,933
T7	Kyle Reifers	70-70-68-70	-10	$211,933

As the PGA Tour's official Twitter feed indicated, this tournament marked Herman's 106th career start. It certainly didn't show down the stretch. Herman punctuated his round with the aforementioned short-game magic at the 16th:

But that was hardly the only impressive shot the 191st-ranked player in the world hit throughout his final 18 holes.

Playing in the last pairing along with a young gun in 28-year-old Jamie Lovemark, who was also in search of a maiden tour win, Herman carded birdies at Nos. 2 and 4 to get off to a fine start. Then, on the par-four fifth, his tee shot found the hazard right of the fairway.

Instead of making a mess of that hole, Herman managed to get down in three strokes and dropped only one shot. It wound up being the only blemish on Herman's scorecard, as he made birdies at the par-four 11th and the par-five 13th preceding his epic chip on No. 16.

ESPN.com's Jason Sobel reacted to the commendable way Herman handled the unprecedented spotlight:

Stenson did his best to give Herman a run, but for all he's accomplished in his career, the strapping Swede has had his own difficulties getting into the winner's circle of late. He settled for second after a round of 68 that featured only one bogey at the long par-three 14th.

Justin Ray of Golf Channel highlighted how many close calls Stenson has had since his most recent victory:

Not least among the others in contention at times was Jordan Spieth. Ahead of his Masters defense, the 22-year-old American prodigy showed signs of elite form en route to five birdies in his first seven holes to vault up the leaderboard.

When he carded the last of those, it appeared as though Spieth was well on his way to a stunning rally:

Adam Sarson of theScore did well to capture the sentiment as the two-time major winner sought to overtake the journeyman who held the 54-hole co-lead:

Unfortunately, Spieth sank on the back nine with bogeys at Nos. 11 and 12 and found the water on his approach to the last, leading to a double bogey and a final-round 70.

After a stellar third-place effort at the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play, Rafa Cabrera Bello had the round of the day with a 65, highlighted by an eagle set up by his majestic drive at No. 12:

The other big-time contender was Dustin Johnson, who shot a three-under 69 but conceded a costly double-bogey six at the 11th when his approach to the par four found the water short and right of the green.

Johnson was a bit too bold on that line, yet he did hang tough on the back nine and positioned himself, along with Stenson, as a chief, formidable challenger to Herman.

Instead of collapsing or suffering a letdown following the momentous birdie at No. 16, though, Herman piped consecutive 310-plus-yard drives, hit safe shots to the remaining two greens and carded routine pars. He closed like someone who'd done it plenty of times before.

Now, Herman has suddenly become a last-minute addition to the Masters field for next week's first major championship of the year.

Adding to the promise the U.S. contingent of studs is showing of late are Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed, who finished in the top 10 in Humble, along with Phil Mickelson. The three-time Masters winner logged a tie-for-13th finish at the Shell Houston Open, positioning himself for further success at Augusta National.

With Jason Day, Adam Scott and Bubba Watson all riding solid form into the Masters, as well as Rory McIlroy pursuing the completion of the career Grand Slam, golf fans have to be ecstatic for the upcoming spectacle.

At least for Sunday, though, Herman was the story—and deservedly so for the mettle he showed to have his long-awaited breakthrough triumph on the PGA Tour.

Post-Round Reaction

The tour's official Twitter feed recorded footage of Herman's interview afterward, in which he understandably became rather emotional:

PGA Tour pro Graham DeLaet congratulated Herman, tweeting: "Great win for Jim Herman. What a grinder. Off to the Masters."

Major champion Jason Dufner, who was a late bloomer in similar fashion to Herman, sought to give the veteran more credit for his own skills:

Herman's other notable quote contained the wonderment he had at the opportunity on the horizon.

"Not sure how Augusta compares to how great this course is. I guess I'll find out next week," Herman said, per PGA Tour Media. 

Note: Stats courtesy of PGATour.com.