Scottie Scheffler raced for the third consecutive week, but fell just short at the Houston Open.
Stefan Jaeger persevered and shot a 3-under 67 to earn his first PGA Tour victory after 135 starts. The 34-year-old fought tenaciously against the world No. 1, becoming the first player to defeat Scheffler in the last three tournaments.
“he [Scheffler] He was playing unbelievable golf,” Yeager told Golf Channel. unload Scheffler. “It was a lot of fun competing against him the last few days. He’s going to have some good stuff, and I just tried to stay with him.”
The German player made nine consecutive pars on the back nine, holding off four other players including second place Scheffler to win by one stroke.
“I had some hints of birdie on the back nine, but this golf course was a little difficult to play, especially when you’re near the lead,” he explained. “There were a lot of difficult things, but today I am very happy.”
Ultimately, on the final hole, Scheffler made a birdie putt on the 18th from just over 5 feet to force a playoff.
Despite his improved putting, the putter once again failed Scheffler when it mattered most. missing below the hole.
Scottie Scheffler missed his birdie putt at 5:04 on the 18th and lost by one stroke.
He hadn’t missed a putt inside 7 feet all weekend before making that putt.
Congratulations to Stefan Jaeger on winning the Texas Children’s Houston Open.pic.twitter.com/lmzTGNuaC7
— Pool Party (@PoolPartyGaming) March 31, 2024
“I didn’t expect it to move much, so I tried to hit it straight, but it started in the middle and looked like it broke pretty hard, so I just misread it,” he said.
Scheffler has battled severe putting issues over the last year. This prompted a change to the flat stick, which paid off until Sunday’s final hole.
Either way, Scheffler’s thoughts on this week seemed optimistic.
“It was another good week. It gave me a chance to win the tournament,” Scheffler said. “I want to be there at the beginning of the week. I had fun today. I wish it could have ended a little differently, but I felt like I made a lot of good putts towards the end, but I just couldn’t make the putts. I could not do it.”
The world’s top-ranked player will take time off next week in preparation for the Masters, which begins on Thursday, April 11th.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
