Weekly Recap: Moves Like Jaeger

This article is part of our Weekly PGA Recap series.

The way Stephan Jaeger had been playing and the way this PGA Tour season had been going, it wasn't hard to envision him winning a golf tournament. Just not going head-to-head against Scottie Scheffler in the final group on a Sunday.

The 34-year-old from Germany was the last man standing from a baker's dozen on a super saturated Sunday leaderboard at the Texas Children's Houston Open. He claimed his first PGA Tour title after Scheffler missed a five-foot birdie putt on 18, leaving the world No. 1 in a five-way share of runner-up.

Jaeger became the fifth first-time winner on Tour this season thanks to a closing 3-under 67 at the difficult Memorial Park course, while Scheffler shot 68. Tour rookie Alejandro Tosti, a fiery player from Argentina bringing electricity to the tournament all week long, bogeyed 18 one group earlier to fall into the second-place quintet.

"It feels amazing. I couldn't have thought -- dreamed up a better week to do it," Jaeger told reporters in Houston. "Obviously playing Scottie last couple days, he's been on a tear, so to kind of slay the dragon a little bit this week was amazing. He's such a good dude, such a good player, I was just happy to play with him a couple days."

This was the 135th career start for Jaeger, who attended Tennessee-Chattanooga more than a decade ago. He played his first Tour event in 2013 – before the advent of the now-extinct wraparound schedule – but this is only his fifth full year on the circuit. Last year had been by far his finest, with 30 made cuts in 33 starts with 10 top-25s -- including a tie for ninth at the 2022 Houston Open. This year, he already had a pair of top-3s, at the birdie-fest Mexico Open but also at the stingy Farmers Insurance Open.

"Yeah, I mean, I had a chance at Torrey. Obviously in Mexico it didn't feel like a chance, those two guys were pretty ahead of me," Jaeger said, referring to winner Jake Knapp and runner-up Sami Valimaki. "Still had a great round in Mexico to finish T3. Felt like my game's really been trending. I've been again consistent. I had a couple of weeks that it wasn't great in Florida, but I felt like if I could just get putter a little warmer, I could have a chance. The putter was nice this week and I got the job done."

Both Torrey Pines and Memorial Park are long, and Jaeger ranks in the top-10 in driving distance on Tour. He also entered the week ranked 26th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, a number that will play on any course anywhere. Jaeger had been ranked 109th in SG: Putting but he led the Houston field, gaining more than six strokes on the week. He parred every hole on the back-nine in a master class of taking what the course allows.

The big perk for Jaeger winning is, of course, a spot in the Masters in two weeks. He's the 88th man in the field and the only way it can grow is if a non-exempt player wins next week's Valero Texas Open. Jaeger was in the published Valero field, but he's already pulled out. We don't advocate backing out, in light of the circumstances, it was the prudent move.

Jaeger entered the week No. 71 in the world rankings. He's now 43rd, becoming only the fifth German ever in the top-50, after Bernhard Langer, Martin Kaymer, Alex Cejka and Marcel Siem.

Augusta National Golf Club loves to invite players from around the world.

On Sunday in Houston, Jaeger kind of invited himself.

MONDAY BACKSPIN

Scottie Scheffler
On the surface, it appears Scheffler's putter cost him a third straight victory. But he ranked 37th in the field in SG: Putting, which is fine when the rest of his game is going as usual. Trouble is, it wasn't. He ranked only T37 in greens in regulation and T42 in scrambling, two things he'll have to clean up before Augusta.

Alejandro Tosti
One of the longest hitters on Tour had four missed cuts in seven starts as a rookie, with no finish inside the top-40. And yet he went to the end with a chance to win. But he failed to birdie the short par-17th, then hit a wayward drive on 18 and bogeyed to fall out of a tie with Jaeger. We can't just assume Tosti will turn a corner now and start to play better, given that his prior results were so poor.
 
Thomas Detry
Detry shared second place, his best result on the PGA Tour (he also was second at Bermuda in 2022). He also was high on the leaderboard earlier in the tournament at the Farmers, but faded on the weekend. So, hanging around till the end is progress. Detry was in the Valero field but pulled out on Sunday night. So, no Masters for him. 

Taylor Moore
Moore has not missed a cut this season. But until last week, he hadn't had a high finish. He tied for 12th in defense of his 2023 Valspar title, and now has a shared runner-up to go along with it. So maybe he is finding something with still plenty of time left in the season. Moore is from San Antonio, yet he is skipping the Valero this week to prep for his second Masters.

Tony Finau
Finau, the defending champion, was the fifth guy to share second. Even though he led after the first round, it didn't feel much like he had a real chance on Sunday. Still, in a season in which his approach stats have been pretty good, better than his tournament results, he has to be pleased with the week.

Billy Horschel
Horschel did not do enough to get to the Masters. But he tied for seventh, his best result of the year, coming on the heels of his two previous bests, a T9 and a T12. He's back up to 80th in the world with the hopes that the rest of the year might be promising for him.

David Skinns
Of all the guys on the first page of the leaderboard, the 42-year-old Englishman was the unlikeliest to be there. He's missed five of nine cuts this season, but this tie for seventh – a result that could've been much, much better -- adds to another high finish, a T4 at the Cognizant.

Max Greyserman
The 28-year-old rookie who attended Duke was part of the four-way tie for seventh, his best result in only eight career starts, seven of which came this season. He also tied for 15th at Puerto Rico.

Aaron Rai
The Englishman rounded out the quartet in seventh place. This season has not been as good as last for Rai. He's had two other top-25s in 2024, but in the weak fields in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Akshay Bhatia
Bhatia actually had the solo lead on the front nine for one hole. By the time he was finished, he fell into a tie for 11th. It's not that he played that poorly, it's just that things were so bunched.

Alex Noren
Noren closed 66-65 but all it got him was a share of 11th place and yet another year without a Masters invite. He remained at No. 66 in the world.

Nick Dunlap
The 20-year-old who won the Amex as an amateur, but then struggled after turning pro, had his best result since the win. And the tie for 11th could've been better – just a couple of shots cost so many guys so many positions on the leaderboard.

Mackenzie Hughes
Hughes tied for 14th, his second good result in a row after a very poor start to the season.

Gary Woodland
Recovering from brain surgery and perhaps returning too soon, Woodland had struggled all season. But in Houston, he tied for 21st. It was only his third made cut in eight starts and by far his best finish. A very good sign. He'll be in the Masters in two weeks.

Sahith Theegala
Theegala has been playing great in 2024. He was the third best golfer in a weak field but did not take advantage of it. He tied for 28th.

Wyndham Clark
Clark announced before the tournament that he suffered a muscle injury in his back. He stayed in the field, said the back was in fact an issue, but made the cut and said he expected it to be better by Sunday. He did close with his best round, a 66, to tie for 31st. If the Masters had been the next week instead of in two weeks, Clark may have taken a different approach.

Peter Malnati
The feel-good winner of the Valspar tied for 36th a week later. And he even got his third career hole-in-one.

Daniel Berger
Coming back from a back injury that sidelined him about a year and a half, Berger made the cut. After missing four of six cuts since returning this year, that's at least a step in the right direction of what's been a slow recovery. He tied for 45th.

Will Zalatoris
After a missed cut at THE PLAYERS, Zalatoris barely made it to the weekend in Houston. He tied for 74th. Is that a concern for the Masters? Maybe. But he has been terrific at Augusta.

MISSED CUTS

Jason Day, Keith Mitchell, Doug Ghim, Joel Dahmen, Robert MacIntyre, Scott Stallings. Day will not be heading to Augusta at the top of his game. Before this MC, he had a couple of finishes in the 30s at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass. … Mitchell had been playing great this season until his freefall from the lead last week at the Valspar, and it may have carried over to Houston. … Ghim's run of top-16s ended at five last week at the Valspar and his cut streak has now ended six. … Dahmen, a great ball striker in a weak field, could not overcome his terrible putting. He ranked in the 120s in the field both days. … MacIntyre has struggled in his first season as a PGA Tour member, missing five of 10 cuts with only one top-30. That was a T6 at Mexico. … Stallings withdrew with a shoulder injury and has already also dropped out of this week's Valero Texas Open.