Stephan Jaeger (-12) stunned Scottie Scheffler to win his first career PGA Tour event at a nail-biting Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park on Sunday. Scheffler was vying to become the fourth player this century (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson) to win three straight starts on the PGA Tour.
Scheffler missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have forced a playoff. Instead, Jaeger — previously ranked No. 71 in the Official World Golf Ranking — collected $1.6 million in prize money, 500 FedEx Cup points, and, more importantly, booked a spot in The Masters.
“I’m a bit disappointed right now,” Scheffler said about the final putt. “It would be one thing if I pulled it or something like that. I just misread it. I don’t know why I misread it, it’s part of the game. Maybe I could have hit it with some more speed, I felt like I hit a nice putt kind of how I wanted to, just didn’t go.
“I didn’t think it was going to move very much and I tried to hit it straight and I feel like I started right in the middle and looked like it broke off pretty hard, so just a misread.”
Jaeger posted 66s in Rounds 2 and 3 and entered Sunday tied for the lead with Scheffler. The German birdied four holes on the front nine but gave one back on the par-3 7th. His last birdie was an 8-footer on the par-3 ninth. He finished with a 3-under 67.
“Birdies eluded me on the back nine,” said Jaeger. “But this golf course plays difficult, especially when you’re around the lead. I’m just super happy.”
After barely missing a walk-off 20-footer, Jaeger broke down in tears when Scheffler failed to follow up on his stellar approach.
“I knew that Scottie hit it close on 18. I think then I looked at the leaderboard on 18 and figured, ‘Hey, I make this, it’s game over,’” Jaeger recalled. “I hit a great putt, just kind of left it a little right. Ended up winning the tournament, which is awesome.
“I expected him to make it, and I’m not mad at him for missing it.”
It was the Jaegar’s 135th start on the PGA Tour. The 34-year-old has two T3s in 2024 — at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Mexico Open. With his victory, Jaeger will gain entry into the four remaining Signature Events on the PGA Tour calendar.
The 5-footer wasn’t Scheffler’s only blown layup on No. 18 at Memorial Park. The World No. 1 followed up a bogey-free opening round 65 with an even-par 7o on Friday due to an uncharacteristic lapse in poise, resulting in a missed tap-in that ended his record streak of 28 consecutive under-par rounds to start the season. A Saturday 66, though, had Scheffler in prime closing position.
As Jaeger teetered along, Scheffler — who relatively struggled on the Houston back-nine all week — alternated between shaky and solid. His newfound putting prowess escaped him. Scheffler missed a birdie putt on No. 11, though nearly compensated with a nifty chip on the 12th. He failed to convert makeable birdie chances on Nos. 13, 17 and 18. He missed a 20-foot eagle chance on the par-5 16th.
Scheffler — coming off wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship — remains the heavy favorite for the Masters. (He skipped the Valspar Championship and is not in the field for the Valero Texas Open).
“I’m pretty beat now from another long week,” he admitted.
Scheffler’s final-round 68 put him at 11-under, tied with defending champion Tony Finau, Taylor Moore, Thomas Detry, and Alejandro Tosti.
Tosti, a fiery, diminutive 27-year-old PGA Tour rookie from Argentina, made an electric run — including a 390-yard drive on No. 16 — and seized the lead, only to bogey the 18th hole. Four players finished at 10-under.
“I dream about this, having this opportunity,” Tosti said. “I know that I’m going to have revenge and I’m going to be in this position many times.”
Jaeger will make his debut at Augusta National on April 11.
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