Jim Crane, left, owner of the Houston Astros baseball team, and Stephan Jaeger pose for photos with the trophy during ceremonies after Jaeger’s win after the final round of the Houston Open on Sunday in Houston.
AP photo
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Scottie Scheffler watches a putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Houston Open on Sunday in Houston.
AP photo
Stephan Jaeger, left, and Scottie Scheffler shake hands after finishing their round on the 18th green during the final round of the Houston Open on Sunday in Houston.
AP photo
HOUSTON — Stephan Jaeger couldn’t have dreamed up a better scenario for his first PGA Tour victory. He played the final 36 holes with the best player in the world, and he won the Houston Open on Sunday to earn his first trip to the Masters.
“It feels amazing,” Jaeger said.
Scottie Scheffler couldn’t imagine a tougher way for his March winning streak to end — a clutch shot to 5 feet on the final hole, and a birdie putt he thought was good until he looked up and realized it wasn’t.
“I hit two or three really good shots into 18 to give myself a chance and I feel like I made the putt and I looked up and it was breaking off,” Scheffler said. “So a bit disappointing, but Stephan played great this week and he’s a deserving champion.”
Jaeger closed with nine straight pars, and that was just enough for a 3-under 67 to finally win in his 135th attempt on the PGA Tour.
Jaeger was preparing for a playoff after narrowly missing a 20-foot birdie putt that would have assured the victory. But then Scheffler, who gave himself three good looks down the stretch, saw his putt burn the left edge of the cup.
“I expected him to make it, and I’m not mad at him for missing it,” Jaeger said.
Scheffler was trying to become the first player in seven years to win three straight starts on the PGA Tour, and he was right there with a chance. Two shots behind, he had a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th and settled for birdie. He missed from 12 feet for birdie on the 17th, and stayed alive when Jaeger missed from 7 feet on the reachable par-4 17th.
His last chance was from 5 feet.
“It would be one thing if I pulled it or something like that,” Scheffler said. “I just misread it. I don’t know why I misread it, it’s part of the game. Maybe I could have hit it with some more speed, I felt like I hit a nice putt kind of how I wanted to, just didn’t go.”
Jaeger, a 34-year-old German who came to high school in Tennessee when he was 16, earned his first trip to the Masters with the victory. He also is in the remaining four $20 million signature events this season.
Alejandro Tosti had a chance to become the fourth PGA Tour rookie to win this early in the year. He was tied for the lead until chipping too strong on the 18th and missing the 18-foot par putt for a 68.
There was a five-way tie for the lead at the start — the largest on tour since 2009 — and eight players had at least a share of the lead at some point during the round.
Jaeger was always in the mix, taking the lead with an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-3 ninth hole at Memorial Park. That was his last birdie of the day, and no one could beat him.
“I was just tried to stay within myself,” Jaeger said. “Birdies eluded me on the back nine. But this golf course plays difficult, especially when you’re around the lead. I’m just super happy.”
Thomas Detry, David Skinns and Taylor Moore all made mistakes down the stretch.
Scheffler was one shot behind when he missed the green on the par-3 15th and failed to save par on an 8-foot putt, falling two shots behind with three to play. He got one back with his birdie on the downwind 16th, where Jaeger had to lay up and settle for par.
Scheffler and Jaeger both missed good birdie chances on the 17th, and Scheffler had one last chance on the 18th.
Jaeger finished at 12-under 268 and cracks the top 50 in the world ranking for the first time.
“I couldn’t have dreamed up a better week,” Jaeger said. “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.”
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 final week for players to move into the top 50 and earn a Masters invitation, and no one from outside the top 50 — Mackenzie Hughes and Tom Hoge had the best chances — did well enough to earn a spot.
Byeong Hun An is the only player from the top 50 added to the field for the Masters, which now includes Jaeger.
LPGA TOUR
GILBERT, Ariz. — Top-ranked Nelly Korda became the first LPGA Tour player in eight years to win three straight starts, closing with a 7-under 65 on a soggy Sunday for a two-shot victory in the Ford Championship.
Korda won the Drive On Championship in her hometown of Bradenton, Florida, before sitting out all of the LPGA’s Asian swing. She returned and won the Fir Hill Seri Pak Championship in a playoff last week in California to move back to No. 1 in the women’s world ranking.
She started the final round two shots behind and took the lead by nearly holing her approach on the par-4 16th. She finished with a short birdie to reach 20-under 268 for her 12th career LPGA title.
Australian rookie Hira Naveed shot 66 and finished alone in second.
Lexi Thompson winless in nearly five years, was tied for the lead until hitting into the water on the 16th and making bogey. She had a 68 and finished in a five-way tie for third.
EUROPEAN TOUR
NEW DELHI — Keita Nakajima of Japan chose to focus on the European tour instead of a smaller American circuit and made the decision pay off Sunday when he closed with a 1-over 73 to win the Hero Indian Open.
Nakajima had a two-shot lead to start the final round at DLF Golf and Country Club and made four birdies in the opening eight holes. That stretched his lead to nine shots, and then it was only a matter of finishing. He shot 40 on the back nine and still won by four for his first European tour title. He finished at 17-under 271.
Nakajima, whose 87 weeks as No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking are more than anyone, won for the fourth time in the last 10 months. The other three were on the Japan Golf Tour last year and enabled him to win the Order of Merit, giving him a European tour card and status on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Veer Ahlawat of India (71), Sebastian Soderberg of Sweden (67) and American Johannes Veerman (67) tied for second.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Retief Goosen hit into the water on the par-5 18th hole and saved par to win The Galleri Classic on Sunday with a 3-under 69 and with plenty of help from the blunders of Steven Alker.
Goosen and Alker were tied for the lead going to the final hole at Mission Hills. Goosen was on the edge of a bunker and hit a 4-iron so thin that it splashed twice in the water that surrounds the 18th green on the Dinah Shore Tournament course.
Instead of laying up, Alker also chose to go for the green. His 5-iron narrowly cleared the pond, but bounced back into the water. He pitched onto the green and missed his par putt.
Goosen took his penalty drop, hit wedge to 8 feet and rolled in the par putt for a one-shot victory that he never saw coming. It was his third career win on the PGA Tour Champions.
OTHER TOURS
Takumi Kanaya closed with a 6-under 65 and started the Japan Golf Tour season off with a victory, winning by two shots over Tatsunori Shogenji. … Mariajo Uribe of Colombia won the New South Wales Women’s Open with a 2-under 70 to beat Bronte Law by one shot on the Ladies European Tour. … Jose de Jesus Rodriguez of Mexico closed with a 1-under 70 for a one-shot victory over Jesus Montenegro in the Totalplay Championship in Mexico on the PGA Tour Americas … Sakura Koiwai rallied to win the Yamaha Ladies Open Katsuragi with a 5-under 67 to win by one shot over Chisato Iwai and Rio Takeda on the Japan LPGA.