Three ball markers are in Stephan Jaeger’s bag. They are dedicated to his son Fritz, dog Phil, and late father Klaus, who passed away this month two years ago.
As part of a five-way co-lead at the Texas Children’s Houston Open on Sunday morning, Jaeger dug into his bag and took out the ball marker for his “Papa Klaus.” He grinned at that.
Riding in the cart as his parents and sister played against a closely packed leaderboard that included young talents Nick Dunlap and Akshay Bhatia, several pros vying for their first TOUR title, and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the overwhelming favourite going into the final round at Memorial Park Golf Course, it was an extra motivation to play hard for his father, who helped introduce him to the game in Germany when he was an elementary school student.
When Jaeger two-putted for par on the final hole on Sunday to finish with a final-round score of 67 and a 12-under 268 total, Scheffler looked inevitable as he sought his third victory in as many starts and the opportunity to become the first player on the TOUR since 2017. When Scheffler missed, however, Jaeger won his first TOUR title at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, one stroke ahead of Scheffler, Tony Finau, Alejandro Tosti, Taylor Moore, and Thomas Detry.
According to Jaeger’s admission earlier this week, Scheffler is almost tough to beat over the course of a season. On the PGA TOUR, though, anything is possible over 72 holes, particularly for a seasoned player like Jaeger, a six-time winner of the Korn Ferry Tour who has recently concentrated on improving himself both on and off the golf game. His son Fritz was conceived the same week his father passed away on March 11, 2022, which served as the impetus for that drive. On Sunday, Jaeger said, “You lose a life and you gain a life.”
Jaeger’s career has taken a new turn after his victory in Houston. He will be remembered for eternity as a PGA TOUR winner, and he is totally exempt on the TOUR till 2026. Next month, he will play in his first Masters.
“There is no way I could have imagined a finer week to pull it off. Playing (with) Scottie over the past few days has obviously put him on a rip, so it was incredible to kind of slay the dragon a little this week. It was a pleasure to play with him for a few days; he’s such a great guy and player.” Jaegar said sunday.
Jaeger has made strides in his profession both physically and mentally. He has been working hard at speed training, and this season he is ranked No. 24 in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (he was ranked No. 184 in 2022). It gives him more freedom to attack longer courses and protects him from mishap on some shots, such as Sunday’s par-4 17th, which is played 329 yards from the forward tee and features water down the entire right side. He made an easy par after hitting a “spinny heeler” from the tee that easily cleared the hazard (his eighth of nine consecutive closing pars on a windy Sunday).
He has also evolved substantially mentally. Prior to winning 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and refusing to look back, Jaeger lost his TOUR card twice. This version of himself was too eager to forget a poor round. Difficulties would pile into missed cuts, and he would become stuck in small ruts that were hard to get out of.
“He was just so, so dejected when he was having a rough round. He would have what I term a “golf hangover.”” Shelby Jaegar said on Sunday.
Jaeger’s old buddy Joel Dahmen remarked, “There are cranky golfers out there, and he did, he took it really hard. The Jaegers spend a week with the Dahmens in Scottsdale, Arizona, each January before starting the TOUR season in Hawaii.
Jaeger’s old buddy Joel Dahmen remarked, “There are cranky golfers out there, and he did, he took it really hard. The Jaegers spend a week with the Dahmens in Scottsdale, Arizona, each January before starting the TOUR season in Hawaii.
When he performed poorly, he almost took it personally.
Jaeger’s fierce competition paid off handsomely, as he won six Korn Ferry Tour titles (in just 118 starts), one less than the record 7 held by Jason Gore.
“When Jaeger just gets a whiff of the lead no way can anybody catch him its the end of story. I’m not sure the correct way to describe it other than having the heart of a champion. 4 (Korn Ferry Tour) wins in under 2 years. That’s insane good” commented Keith Mitchell on X, formerly Twitter, in 2018.
According to legend, Jaeger arrived in Chattanooga jet-lagged and speaking very little English, but he managed to defeat his Baylor School teammates over 36 holes at The Honours Course. Mitchell and Jaeger were teammates in high school at the Tennessee-based Baylor School (along with Harris English), and Jaeger’s talent was evident from the first day. “Growing up in Chattanooga, I had played that golf course hundreds of times, and it was our first competition of the year. I may have shot even worse ; I believe I shot 78–81. He shot 74, and the following round was 68, but we had no idea if he was going to shoot 110 or anything.” Mitchel recalled.
During his junior year of high school, Jaeger was an exchange student from Germany to Tennessee. He stayed for his senior year and continued to play college golf at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, thus he never really left. The Jaegers still live in Chattanooga; last week, they moved into a new home where they spend a lot of time. The clubs were kept in the travel case for nine days following a missed cut at THE PLAYERS Championship two weeks prior, until last Sunday.
“He believes in what he’s doing, and it shows off out there,” Dahmen said, congratulating Jaeger on his greenside Sunday at No. 18, alongside fellow TOUR pros Mark Hubbard and Nate Lashley.
“It’s not accidental to win six times on the Korn Ferry Tour; if you do well there, you can win on the PGA TOUR. It implies that you know how to win once you’re in that situation. It doesn’t frighten you. He demonstrated today that he is not afraid of it. He now drives exactly like he did on the drive he made on 17, over the sea and straight at it.” Dahmen continued.
For the last 36 holes at Memorial Park, Jaeger enjoyed the challenge of playing with world No. 1 Scheffler, something he had been working towards. Scheffler persevered well in the closing rounds, missing birdies from 12 and 5 feet on the last 2 holes but still managing to get within one at 16. But Jaeger’s flawless back 9 set up his first TOUR championship at his 135th start ; a moment he will always treasure.
He got the best result by refusing to take the outcome home with him.
“It was difficult, and it let him know that life is more than just golf. That was the moment when he began to lose interest in this. He’s so much more understanding in every area of life. Because he is so fast, he may not always look it on the golf course, but he is not easily angered by a poor game or a bad day. I believe he was simply aware that this would happen eventually, and he was incredibly patient. After (Klaus’ death), something changed, and he realised there is a lot more to life.” Shelby Jaegar said of Klaus passing.
According to his son on Sunday, Klaus Jaeger would be “rolling over right now happy.” In honour of a PGA TOUR victory, the success of the Jaeger name this week, and possibly for future generations.
“This is crazy. We are overjoyed to have a son. He doesn’t understand what’s happening, but eventually he will realise how amazing his dad is.” Shelby Jaegar said.
