Stephan Jaeger primed for THE PLAYERS Championship debut

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – On the heels of winning the Korn Ferry Tour’s cumulative points list last season, Stephan Jaeger has finally made his way to THE PLAYERS Championship as a first-time participant.

“I’ve earned it,” said Jaeger at TPC Sawgrass on Wednesday. “That’s the cool part. It’s rewarding to get this big spot in here and I’m excited.”

Jaeger, a six-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, will make his debut at the TOUR’s flagship event this week – just a week after making his debut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. He feels his game is trending in the right direction (especially his short game; he sits fourth on TOUR this season in Strokes Gained: Around the Green) and the scores at Bay Hill don’t reflect how well he’s playing right now.

Despite all his Korn Ferry Tour success as a professional, Jaeger hasn’t quite seen that translate into a solid and consistent effort on the PGA TOUR.

Now, it’s about trying to feel more comfortable on the TOUR’s bigger stage.

“I’m working hard on that and it’s obviously easier said than done,” said Jaeger. “Some guys have no problem with that, and I’ve always been a guy that needs to be comfortable to play his best, and it took me a couple years on the Korn Ferry Tour.”

Jaeger is currently 140th on the FedExCup standings. His best result came at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, where he finished tied for 20th – one of his best career TOUR results. He admitted with a smile that his golf game “comes and goes” but it’s in good shape right now. It’s the mental barrier, he said, that he’s still trying to get through.

Still, Jaeger doesn’t think down on his Korn Ferry Tour victories. It’s validating, he said, to have won so many times as he has – not to mention have as consistent a season as he did in 2020-21. He finished inside the top-25 in nearly half of his starts in the Korn Ferry Tour’s only wraparound campaign.

He admitted it’s frustrating he hasn’t yet found his footing on the PGA TOUR like how he has on the Korn Ferry Tour, but he knows that will come.

“You realize that (the guys on the PGA TOUR) are the best in the world. The Korn Ferry Tour is a stepping stone to this place,” he said. “I’m still young enough to have plenty of time to find it and have the mental attitude that I had on the Korn Ferry Tour for a couple of years.

“I feel like it’s getting closer for sure, and I feel more comfortable on TOUR every week.”

While there are plenty of variables in the life of a professional golfer – and especially for a golfer like Jaeger, with ups and downs between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour – one thing has been a constant: his wife Shelby.

Married in 2018, he said his wife has seen all the good, bad and ugly of professional golf.

“She’s been with me through mini-tour stuff, failed Korn Ferry Tour years, she’s seen me win, and she’s seen me lose plenty of times. To have her by my side every week is awesome,” said Jaeger. “To have someone like that, who is that calm, in your corner – it helps me do all kinds of stuff. It’s awesome to have that kind of support system.”

Shelby is on-site at TPC Sawgrass this week, like so many weeks on TOUR, cheering on Jaeger. This week is special, though, and he knows it. He’s excited for his chance to rip around TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course – “We’ve watched this event for so many years on TV that you pretty much know the place without playing it” – and test his mettle against the best in the world.

A chance he earned.

“It’s our marquee event on TOUR and there is a lot of effort to make this one of the best ones we play,” said Jaeger. “I’m excited to tee it up Thursday and play and compete, and maybe have a chance to win on Sunday.”