Stefan Jaeger ‘slays the dragon’ and wins first PGA Tour title

April 1, 2024

It didn’t matter how annoying Scottie Scheffler’s actions were at times. Never mind that the world No. 1 found himself in yet another tense situation Sunday on the 18th green at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. At that time, he had to make a 5-foot birdie putt to advance to a playoff against Stefan Jaeger.

Because two days earlier, Scheffler had missed 22 inches and made double bogey. Scheffler, who has been the best player in the world for months and won his second straight Players Championship title just two weeks ago, made a 183-yard laser putt on the 72nd hole at Memorial Park to repeat Scottie’s lead. I just did it.

Of course, he made short putts, corrected many errors and “bad breaks” at his local state tournament, and ended up stepping on his neck at the right moment, just like the PGA Tour champions do. It will be. Jaeger, 18, missed a 21-foot birdie putt that would have clinched his first tour win in 135 starts, but Scheffler must have believed he wouldn’t budge. Sudden death awaits them, and everyone except Jaeger and his wife Shelby, standing on the lawn with their young son, realize that the Germans are heartbroken again when Scheffler wins his third starting contract. He may have expected to face such an outcome. What was Jaeger thinking while waiting for Scheffler’s blow? “Where will you go for the green in the playoffs?”

“one hundred percent. I expected him to do it,” Yeager said. “And I don’t blame him for missing it.”

When Scheffler slipped through the hole, the points went to the hungry Tour students, who later lamented that they had simply misinterpreted it, allowing the 34-year-old Jaeger to take his first victory with a total of 12 under and a final score of 67. Ta. He earned $1.638 million.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Yeager said. “I couldn’t think of a better week.” Apparently, he was in tears while playing Scottie the last few days. So this week’s little dragon slaying was awesome. He was a really nice guy and a really good player, so I was really happy to play with him for a few days.

Scheffler was clearly disappointed, given his main chance of victory. However, his surprisingly consistent and strong performances continued. The 27-year-old heads into the Masters in two weeks with six top-10 finishes and two wins in eight starts. “I fought well. I felt like I had a weird break this week,” Scheffler said. “It’s kind of like that, but it’s hard to explain.

But obviously I’m a little disappointed. On the 18th, I took a couple of really good shots to give myself a chance, but I made the putt and looked up and I think I broke. So it’s a little disappointing, but Stefan played really well this week and deserves to be champion.”

Scheffler will surely regret losing his focus at the end of the second round on Friday. After nearly making his third shot from a green bunker on the 18th, Scheffler missed a 5-foot par putt and, despite aiming for a 22-inch bogey, the ball caught the edge of the cup and bounced back. It changed into a shape. double ghost. . Scheffler blamed the failure on the woodpecker.
Four players headed to the 18th hole as a chance to put pressure on Jaeger, who was tied at 12 under.

Alejandro Tosti was 12 years younger and already in a good position, but the energetic Argentine saw him coming on the final twist of the green on its way up the uneven terrain. “That was a terrible lie,” Tostee, 68, said afterward, gaining 18 feet for his missed par. Belgium’s Thomas Detry (68) sank a 25-foot birdie putt to reach 12 under, and America’s Taylor Moore (67) made a 44-foot birdie putt but missed the target.
For Jaeger, the win was redemption for some of his missteps this season.

At January’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, he led after 54 holes but shot 72-69 to beat winner Mathieu Pabon. 3. “I felt like my game was really trending,” Yeager said. “I became a regular again. I didn’t have a good few weeks in Florida, but I felt like I had a chance if I could warm up my stick a little bit. The putter felt good this week and I was able to get the job done.

Yeager was born in Munich, Germany, and moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at age 16, where he attended high school with fellow tour pros Keith Mitchell and Harris English. He continued to compete at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and joined the Korn Ferry Tour in 2013. Jaeger was a giant on tour with six wins and 18 top-five finishes, but he bounced back and forth between the KFT and the PGA Tour before finally settling on the Tour.

Major League Baseball in 2021-22. Jaguar currently has a tour card through 2026 and will be playing in his first Masters. In his 12 years as a pro, he only competed in four major tournaments. As the drama unfolded Sunday afternoon, Shelby Yeager stood at the back of the lawn, holding the couple’s 16-month-old son, Harrison, on her hip.

Stefan said the couple moved into their new home last week, but the blanket remained in their bag until Sunday. “My wife has been by my side for a long time,” Yeager said. “She saw the worst and saw me win on the Korn Ferry Tour. she was next to me. She was my biggest supporter.

She’s also my biggest critic. If something were to happen, she would be able to reason with me. They are two of the most important people in my life, and I’m so glad they’re here to celebrate with me. I would like to do it again if my son remembers. ”