Jaeger claims maiden PGA Tour victory with Pro V1

In control and undaunted down the stretch,  Stephan Jaeger (Pro V1)  closed in 3-under 67 to emerge from a crowded leader board in Houston and win by one shot –  claiming the 13th victory for Titleist golf ball players in the first 14 events played this season on the PGA TOUR.

It also marked the first PGA TOUR victory for Jaeger, 34, who posted rounds of 69-66-66-67 to finish the week at 12 under, one better than the group of five players who finished T2.

For the week, Jaeger gained nearly six (+5.656) strokes tee to green, including more than three (+3.170) around the green. On Sunday, he got up and down on five of six attempts.

Jaeger, who graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2021 playing Pro V1 Left Dot, moved to Pro V1x midway through the 2022 season looking for more trajectory and spin. Six events later, he put Pro V1 in play and has played the model ever since.

TITLEIST GOLF BALL PLAYERS: 13 WINS IN 14 EVENTS TO START 2024 PGA TOUR SEASON

Stephan Jaeger’s victory at the Houston Open marked the 13th victory for Titleist golf ball players through the first 14 events to start the 2024 PGA TOUR season:

1.  The Sentry Champion (Pro V1x)

2.  Grayson Murray  (Pro V1) – Sony Open in Hawaii

3.  The American Express Champion (Pro V1)

4.  Matthieu Pavon  (Pro V1) – Farmers Insurance Open

5.  Wyndham Clark (Pro V1x) – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

6.  Nick Taylor  (Pro V1x) – WM Phoenix Open

7.  Jake Knapp (Pro V1 Left Dot) – Mexico Open at Vidanta

8.  Austin Eckroat (Pro V1) – Cognizant Classic

9.  Arnold Palmer Invitational Champion (Pro V1)

10.  Brice Garnett (Pro V1) – Puerto Rico Open

11.  THE PLAYERS Champion (Pro V1)

12.  Peter Malnati  (Pro V1x Yellow) – Valspar Championship

13.  Stephan Jaeger  (Pro V1) – Texas Children’s Houston Open

This season on the PGA TOUR, a total of 1,205 players (70%) have teed up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x model, more than five times the nearest competitor (206/12%).

HOUSTON OPEN CHAMP WINS WITH VOKEY SM10 WEDGES

The winner of the Houston Open started the 2024 PGA TOUR season by making the switch to Vokey Design wedges, having played the prior two seasons with a competitive brand.

On Sunday, he brought three NEW Vokey Design SM10 wedges (50.12F (@ 49), 54.14F (@ 53), 56.14F (@ 57) wedges) to the winner’s circle, marking the fifth consecutive PGA TOUR victory for players carrying at least three Vokey wedges:

• Texas Children’s Houston Open Champion (NEW Vokey Design SM10 50.12F (@ 49), 54.14F (@ 53), 56.14F (@ 57) wedges)

• Valspar Championship – Peter Malnati (NEW Vokey Design SM10 48.10F, 52.12F, 56.08M (@57), 60.04T (@62) wedges)

• THE PLAYERS Championship & Arnold Palmer Invitational Champion (Vokey Design SM8 50.12F, 56.14F, SM9 WedgeWorks 60T wedges)

• Puerto Rico Open Champion  (Vokey Design SM9 50.08F, 54.14F, NEW SM10 WedgeWorks 60A+ wedges)

The champion’s scoring club setup is unique. His highest lofted wedge is 57 degrees, relatively strong compared to the more common 58-, 59- and 60-degree lob wedges on TOUR. Originally a 56-degree F Grind sand wedge with 14 degrees of bounce, the winner’s wedge is bent one degree weak and hand ground into what Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill calls a “Mini M Grind.” (Bob Vokey’s favorite grind, the M was designed for players that like to rotate the club face open and closed to manufacture shots around the green.)

In grinding the “Mini M”, Vokey Tour Rep  Aaron Dill adds heel, trailing edge and toe relief. The result is a modified F grind with approximately 13 degrees of effective bounce and similar in appearance to an M, granting versatility in the open face positions.

For years, Dill has hand ground the “Mini M” for  Michael Kim on his 56.14 F Grind (Kim’s “Mini M” is his sand wedge, and he also plays a WedgeWorks 60L lob wedge). Earlier this month at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Houston Open champion noticed the “Mini M” in Kim’s bag and gave it a try. He asked for one that week and immediately put it in play.

The champion also travels with a NEW Vokey Design SM10 WedgeWorks 58L (@ 57) wedge that he substitutes into his bag depending on course conditions. He had been using the 58L exclusively prior to adding the “Mini M” to his setup.

For golfers looking for custom adjustments to their own Vokey SM10 wedges, Vokey WedgeWorks offers a variety of customisation tools, which include:

Stamping options | 10-character straight/ freestyle stamping; 15 characters around the toe; and two lines of 10 characters eachCustom paint-filled loft, bounce and grind markings and BV Wings logo Six unique toe engravings HandGround options for grind personalisation Vokey WedgeWorks Flight Lines SM10 wedges can also be custom ordered with an industry-leading selection of shafts, grips, shaft bands and ferrules.

For a complete list of options, visit www.Vokey.com

LPGA | Ford Championship

The winner of the Ford Championship gamed a  Vokey Design SM9 WedgeWorks 58T lob wedge  and a  Scotty Cameron Squareback 2 tour prototype putter en route to her 11th LPGA victory.