Jones chips in to win title, claim Masters’ spot

HUMBLE. — For the second week in a row, Matt Kuchar squandered a back-nine lead and lost to a previously winless Australian.
Matt Jones earned his first trip to the Masters with a remarkable 42-yard chip-in on the first playoff hole, outdueling Kuchar on his way to winning the Houston Open golf tournament on Sunday.
The win is the first on the PGA Tour for the Australian, who made a 46-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to reach the playoff. He ended it one hole later, chipping over the right front bunker on the 18th and watching it roll in.

Kuchar, who bogeyed the final hole of regulation, then missed his bunker shot to give Jones the win — earning him nearly US$1,2 million and a trip to Augusta National.

Jones, who began the day six shots back of Kuchar, shot a final-round 66 and ended the tournament 15 under overall. In September, Jones lipped out an 8-foot birdie putt on the last hole of the BMW Championship — a putt that would have earned him a trip to next week’s Masters by sending him to the Tour Championship. He waited until the last possible moment to make amends for that miss on Sunday, doing so in impressive fashion. — AFP.