Art of the deal: Jim Herman upholds faith shown by old boss Donald Trump

His Masters moment has come and gone, but the congratulations keep rolling in as Jim Herman makes his way around Harbour Town Golf Links’ practice facility this week.

The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing is the first opportunity many PGA Tour pros and their caddies have had to see the 38-year-old pro since his improbable victory at the Shell Houston Open, which earned him the last possible invitation to last week’s Masters.

There’s one guy, though, that Herman’s still waiting to hear from — the man whose golf portfolio he represents on the PGA Tour.

Donald J. Trump. You might have heard of him. Been in the news a lot lately, which is probably why they haven’t found time to chat.

“I haven’t spoken to him yet,” Herman said Tuesday before heading out to a practice round. “I’m sure we will soon. I’m taking a week off after Hilton Head, so I’m sure we’ll be in touch.”

In these politically charged times, cynics might feign shock that the Republican presidential frontrunner didn’t claim credit — they did play together the weekend before Houston — or otherwise find a way to inject himself into Herman’s Augusta storyline.

And certainly the Florida pro knows there are a lot of folks turned off by Trump’s views on immigration, border security and whatever else.

That’s for another arena, though. Herman is better acquainted with what Trump has done for the golf industry — and for pushing him to reach higher during a time he toiled as an assistant teaching professional.

“I’m proud to carry the (Trump) shield and his logo,” Herman said. “It represents more than just him. It’s all the other employees I worked with and other great members I was helping as a teaching pro. It was great working there.”

That would be Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., where Herman latched on in 2006 after another futile attempt to reach the final stage of the PGA Tour qualifying process.

It wasn’t much more than a month before Herman got the call to play with Trump, which he handled well. After a few more outings, Trump pulled him aside to ask why he someone of his talent was working the pro shop and practice facility.

It was anything but “You’re fired!” At the same time, Trump was trying to nudge him out the door.

“He’d shoot really low rounds when we played,” Trump told the Associated Press not long after Herman’s victory in Houston.

“I’d ask him after a round, ‘Where are you going after this?’ And he’d say ‘I’m giving somebody a lesson. I’d say, ‘You got to give (professional golf) a shot. You got a real chance to be something special.’ ”

Herman said: “He gave me a lot of confidence. He’s seen a lot of players in pro-ams, and it gave me a little shot in the arm.”

Trump even staked Herman with enough financial assistance to get through the next year. In 2007, Herman finally got to the finals of PGA Tour qualifying, earning a berth on what’s now the Web.com Tour.

Even then, it took four years for Herman to earn a PGA Tour card. And another four years to stop flirting with going back to the developmental circuit. Before Houston, he owned just five top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour.

No wonder his victory touched a lot of folks at Harbour Town. Not only did Herman win, he did it by beating back a pair of top-10 players in Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson.

“What a fantastic round,” NBC analyst Johnny Miller said at the finish. “He had every reason with all the big names in front of him to fold. And he just hasn’t done it. All the hard work has paid off.”

What followed was a whirlwind as Herman had to change travel plans, secure last-minute housing in Augusta, make arrangements for family to fly in and learn the nuances of Augusta National. He wound up missing the cut.

“Not too disappointing,” he said, “but I would have liked to get to the weekend.”

This week it’s just him and caddie Matt Achatz, decompressing while at the same time seeking to contend at Harbour Town. He’ll have a higher profile now, but he isn’t worried about what that Trump logo might bring from patrons.

“It’s mostly positive,” he said. “This isn’t politics. We’re talking golf, and he’s great for the game of golf.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Art of the deal: Jim Herman upholds faith shown by old boss Donald Trump."