STEPHAN JAEGER SECURED his maiden PGA Tour win in dramatic circumstances at the Texas Children’s Houston Open tonight. 

Jaeger’s final round 67 was enough to finish at 12-under for the tournament, and ahead of a group at 11-under that included Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Tony Finau. 

While Jaeger could ultimately celebrate victory in regulation, it looked to all the world that he would be heading for a play-off after he sent his birdie putt on 18 curling agonisingly to the right of the hole. A typically divine iron meant Scheffler had a putt from just over five feet for birdie and to force a playoff, but he saw his putt slide to the left of the hole. It felt a shocking moment, given Scheffler hadn’t missed from outside of seven feet across the entire weekend. 

Scheffler was bidding for a third-straight victory on the Tour, but his long-existing putting problems hinted at their return across the closing holes: he missed a good opportunity for eagle on the par-five 16th having made bogey on the par-three 15th, the same hole on which he made double-bogey on Saturday. 

He missed another birdie opportunity from 13 feet on 17, before then miscuing from close range on 18, settling for a tie for second place. 

For Jaeger it’s a belated first victory in what was his 135th PGA Tour start, which earns him a winner’s cheque of $1.6 million and a ticket to the Masters, PGA Championship, and all of the remaining signature events on the PGA Tour for 2024. Having made the turn at three-under for his round, Jaeger parred all of the back nine to hang on for victory. He is the fifth player to win for the first time on the Tour this season. 

Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti was made to rue a bogey on the 18th hole, which ruled him out of a play-off. 

The only Irish player in the field was Padraig Harrington, who missed the cut on Friday.