Scottie Scheffler put himself into contention for a third straight week but came up just short at the Houston Open.
Stephan Jaeger persevered and carded a 3-under 67 to earn his first PGA Tour win after 135 starts. The 34-year-old held tough against the World No. 1 and became the first player to beat Scheffler in his last three events.
“He’s [Scheffler] been playing some unbelievable golf,” Jaeger told Golf Channel about taking down Scheffler. “It was such a blast the last couple of days to fight with him. He’s going to have some good stuff, and I just tried to stay with him myself.”
The German settled for nine straight pars on the back nine, holding off Scheffler and four others in second place to win by one stroke.
“Birdies kind of alluded me on the back nine, but this golf course plays a little difficult, especially if you’re right around the lead,” he explained. “There’s just so much trouble, and I’m super happy with the day.”
It ultimately came down to the final hole as Scheffler faced a birdie putt from just over five feet on 18 to force a playoff.
Despite his improved putting, when it mattered most, the putter failed Scheffler once again, missing below the hole.
Scottie Scheffler misses a 5’ 4” birdie putt on 18 to lose by 1 stroke.
He had not missed a putt inside 7 feet the entire weekend before that putt.
Congrats to Stephan Jaeger, your Texas Children’s Houston Open champion.pic.twitter.com/lmzTGNuaC7
— Pool Party (@PoolPartyGaming) March 31, 2024
“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,” he said.
Scheffler had battled atrocious putting woes over the last year. That prompted a change in the flat stick, which paid dividends until the final hole Sunday.
Regardless, Scheffler’s thoughts on the week appeared optimistic.
“Another good week — I gave myself a chance to win the tournament,” Scheffler said. “That’s where I want to be at the beginning of the week. Today was fun. I wish it would have ended a little differently, but I hit what I felt were a lot of good putts there toward the end — I couldn’t get one to go in.”
The world’s top-ranked player plans to take next week off in preparation of the Masters, starting Thursday, April 11th.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
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