HOUSTON — Stephan Jaeger could not have dreamed up a greater situation for his first PGA Tour victory. He performed the ultimate 36 holes with one of the best participant on the earth, and he gained the Houston Open on Sunday to earn his first journey to the Masters.
“It feels superb,” Jaeger mentioned.
Scottie Scheffler could not think about a harder manner for his March profitable streak to finish — a clutch shot to five toes on the ultimate gap, after which a birdie putt he thought was good till he seemed up and realized it wasn’t.
“I hit two or three actually good pictures into 18 to present myself an opportunity and I really feel like I made the putt and I seemed up and it was breaking off,” Scheffler mentioned. “So a bit disappointing, however Stephan performed nice this week and he is a deserving champion.”
Jaeger closed with 9 straight pars, and that was simply sufficient for a 3-under 67 to lastly win in his one hundred and thirty fifth try on the PGA Tour.
Jaeger was making ready for a playoff after narrowly lacking a 20-foot birdie putt that will have assured the victory. However then Scheffler, who gave himself three attractiveness down the stretch, noticed his putt burn the left fringe of the cup.
“I anticipated him to make it, and I am not mad at him for lacking it,” Jaeger mentioned.
Scheffler was attempting to change into the primary participant in seven years to win three straight begins on the PGA Tour, and he was proper there with an opportunity. Two pictures behind, he had a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 sixteenth and settled for birdie. He missed from 12 toes for birdie on the seventeenth, and stayed alive when Jaeger missed from 7 toes on the reachable par-4 seventeenth.
His final likelihood was the 5-footer.
“It could be one factor if I pulled it or one thing like that,” Scheffler mentioned. “I simply misinterpret it. I do not know why I misinterpret it, it is a part of the sport. Possibly I may have hit it with some extra velocity, I felt like I hit a pleasant putt form of how I wished to, simply did not go.”
Jaeger, a 34-year-old German who got here to highschool in Tennessee when he was 16, earned his first journey to the Masters with the victory. He is also within the remaining 4 $20 million signature occasions this season.
Alejandro Tosti had an opportunity to change into the fourth PGA Tour rookie to win this early within the 12 months. He was tied for the lead till chipping too sturdy on the 18th and lacking the 18-foot par putt for a 68.
There was a five-way tie for the lead firstly — the most important on tour since 2009 — and eight gamers had at the least a share of the lead in some unspecified time in the future through the spherical.
Jaeger was all the time within the combine, taking the lead with an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-3 ninth gap at Memorial Park. That was his final birdie of the day, and but nobody may beat him.
“I used to be simply tried to remain inside myself,” Jaeger mentioned. “Birdies eluded me on the again 9. However this golf course performs tough, particularly if you’re across the lead. I am simply tremendous comfortable.”
Thomas Detry, David Skinns and Taylor Moore all made errors down the stretch.
Scheffler was 1 shot behind when he missed the inexperienced on the par-3 fifteenth and failed to avoid wasting par on an 8-foot putt, falling 2 pictures behind with three to play. He acquired 1 again along with his birdie on the downwind sixteenth, the place Jaeger needed to lay up and accept par.
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Scheffler and Jaeger each missed good birdie probabilities on the seventeenth, and Scheffler had one final likelihood on the 18th.
Jaeger completed at 12-under 268 and cracks the highest 50 on the earth rating for the primary time.
“I could not have dreamed up a greater week,” Jaeger mentioned. “Taking part in Scottie final couple days, he is been on a tear, so to form of slay the dragon a bit bit this week was superb. He is such a very good dude, such a very good participant, I used to be simply comfortable to play with him a pair days.”
Defending champion Tony Finau closed with two straight birdies for a 66 and joined Scheffler, Tosti, Detry and Moore in a tie for second.
This was the ultimate week for gamers to maneuver into the highest 50 and earn a Masters invitation, and nobody from outdoors the highest 50 — Mackenzie Hughes and Tom Hoge had one of the best probabilities — did nicely sufficient to earn a spot.
Byeong Hun An is the one participant from the highest 50 added to the sector for the Masters, which now contains Jaeger.
