Johnson Wagner won the Shell Houston Open by two strokes on Sunday to fulfil a lifelong dream with a first PGA Tour victory, earning a place at the Masters in the process.
The 28-year-old shot a one-under-par final-round 71 to finish on 16-under-par 272, two ahead of Chad Campbell and Geoff Ogilvy, to claim victory, a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and an automatic invitation to play at the Augusta National next week.
‘I can't believe I'm playing Augusta next week,’ Wagner, who led from the opening round, said.
‘It's a dream come true.’
Billy Mayfair, who made his 600th PGA Tour start, and Fred Couples, finished tied for fourth. It was Couples' highest finish since a tie for third at the 2006 Masters.
Wagner began the day with a one-stroke lead and extended it to three when he made a 27-foot birdie putt and Campbell missed a five-footer to save par on the second.
The lead grew to five strokes on the fourth hole when Wagner sank a 12-foot birdie putt while Campbell failed to get his ball out of a fairway bunker for another bogey.
The front nine was disastrous for Campbell, who shot a three over 39. In addition to the two bogeys, he had a double-bogey on the par-five eighth when his shot out of a fairway bunker went into the lake.
Wagner, who did win twice on the Nationwide Tour but failed to hold final-round leads in two other events, did not break - even when a trio of golfers, Campbell, Ogilvy and Bob Estes, spent the day chipping away at him.
Wagner had a four-stroke lead through nine holes, but missed the green at the tenth and failed to get up and down.
The lead dwindled to two when Estes made a ten-foot birdie on the 14th, but Wagner got it back to three on the par-five 13th. He reached the green in two - only the eighth golfer to do so in the final round - and two-putted from 30 feet.
Wagner's only real mistake was three-putting for bogey on the par-three 14th. It was his first three-putt of the tournament and again cut the lead to two.
The lead was reduced to one when Campbell, who clawed his way back into contention, made a 12-foot birdie.
But Campbell's chance disappeared when he his tee shot on the par-three 16th found the bunker and his second shot flew 15 feet past the hole.
The bogey gave Wagner a two-shot lead, and he put away the tournament when he made an 11-foot putt for par on the 17th to keep the margin.
‘I just kept trying to hit greens,’ Wagner said. ‘I'd been putting well all week, my speed's been great and I just wanted to make some pars.’
Padraig Harrington's 26th-place finish in Houston means he is up into an automatic Ryder Cup qualifying position.
