Golf

How 48-year-old Tim "Lumpy" Herron made lone eagle on this hole at Colonial

At 48, Tim Herron is having a solid Colonial showing.
At 48, Tim Herron is having a solid Colonial showing. Star-Telegram archives

It’s been a dozen years since Tim Herron won the Fort Worth Invitational at Colonial. But the man affectionately known as "Lumpy" is showing an ability to compete at the shot-makers course at age 48.

Herron posted a 2-under 68 on Saturday and is tied for 14th at 6-under for the tournament. That’s better than the likes of Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler.

The highlight of the day? Herron’s eagle on the par-5 11th.

Herron hit a perfect 324-yard drive down the middle of the fairway and then ripped a 292-yard 3-wood that settled in 7 feet, 5 inches from the hole.

"I ran it up kind of, hit a low burner [3-wood]," Herron said. "I knew I couldn’t fly it there, so I was trying to get it up in front and probably got a good kick off the down slope and got it there."

Asked the last time he hit a 290-yard 3-wood, Herron smiled and said: "I don’t know. When it gets firm and fast ..."

Herron is the only player to eagle the par-5 11th through three rounds of the tournament. He was disappointed to give a couple shots back to the field when he three-putted Nos. 13 and 14.

Still, Herron is having an impressive tournament for a player who last won on the PGA Tour in 2006 (at Colonial).

"It’s great," said Herron, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour. "Your juices start flowing a little bit again."

Herron plays in only a handful events and is eyeing the Champions Tour when he’s eligible to join at age 50.

"Just trying to stay really competitive," Herron said. "Hopefully get a chance to get on the Champions Tour and do well."

Finally, for what it’s worth, he shared a refresher on how he got the nickname "Lumpy."

"It was the head pro that I used to work for," Herron said. "I picked the range and he goes, 'Do you have a nickname?' I said, 'No.' Then I went down and picked the range and he said, 'Hey, Lumpy. Do you like your nickname?' I said, 'No, but it stuck.'

"That was kind of it."

This story was originally published May 26, 2018 at 4:49 PM with the headline "How 48-year-old Tim "Lumpy" Herron made lone eagle on this hole at Colonial."

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