He started the week tying the course record. He ended it by hoisting the trophy. And while there were plenty of nervous moments in between, Matt Jones kept calm to claim The Honda Classic by five shots over Brandon Hagy. The five-shot victory tied for the largest in tournament history.
The 40-year-old Aussie also earned his second win on TOUR, with this one coming during his 174th start since claiming the Vivint Houston Open in 2014. “I’ve had some tough times in between that and now,” Jones said as he teared up.
“Sorry. I’m pretty emotional. Seven years, so. I just worked hard. I had some tough times putting and worked hard with my coach back in Australia. It’s finally paid off.”
Jones became the 14th international winner of The Honda Classic in the last 27 stagings of the event.
He began the week with a scorching 9-under 61 to tie the course record, and followed with rounds of 70, 69 and 68 in windy conditions to close it out. Jones earned 500 FedExCup points and moved up 49 spots to No. 11 in the standings.
Photo: Matt Jones was the only player in the final seven groups to finish under par. (Getty Images)
