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The German opens up after winning the Texas Children's Houston Open

Jaeger tossed the coin into the air and Klaus came out

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Stephan Jaeger, con su hijo © PGA Tour
Stephan Jaeger, con su hijo © PGA Tour

The German Stephan Jaeger was the deserved and at the same time unexpected winner this Sunday of the Texas Children’s Houston Open, one of the classic tournaments of the PGA Tour and one of the last opportunities for candidates to fight next week for the Augusta Masters to fine-tune their golf. A victory based on consistency, with four rounds under par, with which the talented German player makes his debut in the American circuit in his 135th tournament.

A title that he took advantage of to remember how important his family has been to him in his career… “My family lived very close to a golf course in Germany, about a kilometre and a half away, more or less. As a child I practiced all kinds of sports, football, hockey in winter, that kind of thing. Actually, I started playing golf quite late, at 9 or 10 years old, even though my parents always played on holidays and took my sister, who is older than me, who was a very good golfer,” recalled Jaeger at his press conference.

“I used to ride in the buggy when I was 6 or 7 years old, it was what I enjoyed the most. But over time I decided to try. I went to a local club, they had a great junior programme, and I improved very quickly, people there said ‘hey, this kid has talent’. Actually, I played to pass the time, I had a lot of fun on the course, and when I ended up coming to United States, at 16 years old, I played on a great team in high school,” he recalled.

But those beginnings in the world of golf have not been the only family link that has helped Stephan become a winner on the PGA Tour: “My wife and my son have been by my side today… My son is 16 months old so his arrival was a big change in my life. But my wife has been with me for a long time. She has seen the worst times and the best, winning on the Korn Ferry Tour. She has been by my side, she has been my biggest support and also my biggest critic. She makes things clear if something happens”.

“Being able to celebrate with them, the two most important people in my life, makes me very happy. I hope I can win again when my son remembers it. I think one of the goals of my life is that he can remember that his father was good at something before he is 14 or 15 years old, I have retired and he wonders what I have done with my life. It’s a long-term goal,” confessed the German golfer to the media.

Jaeger recalled the years he has been with his partner: “We started dating at the end of 2015. I had just finished a year on the Latin tour where I won about 12,000 dollars that year. It was a great year for me. She has seen everything, she has seen my lost cuts after lost cuts, she has seen some victories and she has also seen great moments. I owe her a lot for the support she always gives me”.

Interestingly, this first title on the PGA Tour has come after a few days off in which, in addition to clearing his mind, he took the opportunity to move house! “I made a top 3 at Torrey Pines, where I had my chance, and another one in Mexico, although there I was far from the first two. But the week off after the THE PLAYERS helped me a lot, I ended up very mentally fatigued. The Arnold Palmer from the previous week kicks your head over and over again during the 18 holes. It’s a very tough course. So I decided to take a week off and recharge my batteries and we took the opportunity to move to a new house, so literally my bag of clubs was in the travel cover until Sunday”.

A few days off in which to clear his mind to impose himself, no more and no less, than the Number One in the world golf ranking. “It’s been incredible… I wouldn’t have imagined or dreamed of a better week to achieve it. Playing with Scottie the last two days has been exciting, so ‘killing the dragon’ makes this week something fantastic. He’s such a good guy, such a good player, that just playing with him these last two rounds already made me happy,” revealed Jaeger.

Finally, the German confessed a curiosity that further reinforces the importance of his family: “You know? It’s funny because I have three coins in my bag that my wife made for me to mark the balls on the green. One with my son’s name, Fritz, with a four-leaf clover. Another one, with my dog’s name, Phil. And another one with my father’s name, Klaus. I always take one out for each round without looking at which one it is. The first three days I took out my son’s. Today I took out my father’s and when I saw it, I just smiled. It was a good omen for my final round”.

“He passed away a couple of years ago, in the week of the THE PLAYERS, and it was the hardest moment of my life, I started playing terribly. The good side of the story is that my son was conceived that week. It was like losing a life and gaining another one, don’t you think? Right now he would be doing somersaults of joy. We miss him a lot. My mother is coming next week, so we will have time to celebrate with her”, remembered Stephan.

This victory in the Texas Children’s Houston Open opens the doors of the Augusta National to play the Masters next week. Something that the German golfer is already dreaming of: “I am eager, it is a dream I have had for a long time, I have had many opportunities to play there, but I said that until I was in the Masters I would not do it. Let’s see if I can travel and see the course before the madness begins”, he concluded.