Stephen Jaeger: All You Need to Know About the KFT Pro

Stephen Jaeger is currently sailing through the Torrey Pines. The German golfer has charted the leaderboard with an impressive second round. Jaeger has a two-stroke lead over Danish golfer Nicolai Hojgaard. The sudden emergence of Jaeger’s name on the leaderboard sparks curiosity about him.

The 34-year-old made his professional debut in 2012. However, on the PGA Tour, Jaeger rarely came close to being in the winning circle. What has been his journey from the bottom of the field to now leading it? Let’s explore who Stephen Jaeger is.

Stephen Jaeger’s early life

The German golfer was born on May 30th, 1989, in Munich. He is the younger son of the Jaeger family. He is closest to his parents, Sophie and Klaus Jaeger. The golfer’s parents have made a huge contribution to pursuing his dreams of playing golf.

The 34-year-old golfer is the only son and has an older sister, Michaela Jaeger. In his early life, he spent seventeen years in Munich, Germany. Jaeger’s interest in golf started because of his family. In an interview with Golf Punk, Jaeger explained that his parents were founding members of golf in Eichenried, Germany.

Moreover, his thirteen-year-old older sister played golf for much of her life. Having spent his life surrounded by golf, Jaeger was curious to play it too. Though he described that before taking golf seriously, he used to play soccer, tennis, hockey, and pretty much any sport. However, at the age of eight or nine, he expressed his intention to play golf, and as golf has been popular in Eichenried, Jaeger found a suitable environment to prosper.

Golf became Jaeger’s “happy place,” and soon he earned a title in his hometown. He was named the Bavarian Youth Champion. Since then, he has had only one plan, to become a professional golfer. Taking inspiration from Tiger Woods and deeming him his “hero,” Jaeger was planning for the American Dream.

In 2006, Jaeger and his family decided that for a year, he would go to the USA as an exchange student. If things worked out, he would continue his education there, and if not, he would come back. Things started to work out. In America, Jaeger was admitted to Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

He also became a part of their men’s golf team and, with them, won the Boys Division II State Championship in 2006. He was also part of the TSSAA State Championship team in 2007. After he graduated from high school, Jaeger was inducted into the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

There, Jaeger’s game was immensely improved, and he started playing better every day. He was the leading player on Chattanooga MOCS Golf. In four years at the university, the German golfer won six times.

In 2012, he graduated with a bachelor’s in Psychology, and the same year, he was named a Cleveland Golf All-American Scholar. Jaeger’s college years were filled with many titles, and right after his graduation, he qualified for the Korn Ferry Tour, or the Web.com Tour, as previously known.

Stephen Jaeger’s professional career and personal life

On the Korn Ferry Tour, the first season was not as amusing as Jaeger had expected. He could not win any events or rank at the top in any, and as a result, he lost his KFT card for the next season. In 2014, to regain his KFT membership, Jaeger played on the PGA Tour Latin America. From there on, he consistently made better finishes and secured the card.

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Four years after turning pro, Jaeger tasted his first professional victory on the Korn Ferry Tour. In 2016, he won the Ellie Mae Classic, and the next year he doubled the title. He had won three times on the KFT by 2017 and secured himself a PGA Tour membership for the following season. However, the next season did not go as expected by Jaeger.

The Bavarian lost his PGA Tour card for 2019 and made his way back to the Korn Ferry Tour. He was disappointed but did not lose hope. In the next few years, he won three more times, bringing his professional victory total to six. Through 2023’s top 70 FedExCup ranking, Jaeger is exempted for the 2024 season. And in the last 20 appearances, he has not missed a single cut. The last missed cut by Jaeger was at the 2023 RBC Heritage Classic in April.

With a successful professional career, Jaeger’s personal life is also nourishing. In 2018, he got married to his long-time love, Shelby Jaeger. Shelby was a hairdresser for Jaeger, and the love started after that. The duo’s marriage is six years strong, and they have an adorable son, Harrison Fritz Jaeger, and also a dog named Phil.

Jaeger is currently 12 under after two rounds and is contending for his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Farmers Insurance Open. Will the Bavarian boy complete his American dream of becoming the best golfer and winning many tournaments in his life? Well, you will have to stay tuned to find out.

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