Jim Lehman knows how to put a smile on Larry Mize’s face. All he needs to do is mention Mize’s 1987 Masters Tournament championship.
Lehman is a vice president with the SFX Golf office in suburban Minneapolis and handles business affairs for Mize. He does the same for his brother Tom Lehman and along with SFX’s Alissa Herron also works with Tim Herron. Both Tom and Tim, of course, are Minnesota natives and rank with the state’s best golfers ever. Alissa is Tim’s sister.
Jim said on Tuesday he will wait until later this week to decide whether to travel to his 14th consecutive Masters. Mize is his only client in the tournament this weekend because Tom and Herron didn’t qualify. He will wait to see how Mize is playing before making a decision.
Mize, a 49-year-old Augusta native, made a famous chip shot at the 1987 Masters to beat Greg Norman, a pre-tournament favorite to win. It was a signature shot and the biggest win of Mize’s career. The championship meant an automatic invitation every year to return to Augusta. “For Larry being a kid that grew up in Augusta, it’s a huge thrill for him to go back and play in his home town as a past champion,” Jim said.
Tom Lehman and Herron don’t have a past championship to guarantee an invite to the Masters. What they can look forward to is the Verizon Heritage tournament next week in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Lehman, 49, tied for second in the 1994 Masters and has played in several Masters over the years. Herron, 38, has played in fewer Masters but was among the top money earners in the 2005 tournament.
There are three primary criteria for Masters qualifying, according to Jim Lehman. One is to finish among the top 30 money winners on the previous year’s tour. Another is to be in the top 50 of the world rankings leading up to Augusta. The third is to have a PGA tournament win since the previous year’s Masters.