Scotty Scheffler's agony over a missed putt cost him his chance at a historic treble

Scotty Scheffler seemed confident that he would continue his remarkable form at the Houston tournament. Photo: Getty Images/Joe Scarnici

World No. 1 Scotty Scheffler missed a five-foot putt, costing him a chance to become the first PGA Tour golfer in seven years to win three tournaments in a row.

Scheffler , who missed a putt from 22 inches on Friday, looked almost certain to make the playoffs at the Houston Open when he executed his approach brilliantly on the 18th.

But on the same green where he saw the tiddler stick out his lip in the second round, Scheffler hit a poor putt and handed the title to Geman underdog Stefan Jager.

To force a playoff…

A slight miss for Scotty Scheffler, whose bid to win three times in a row falls short by one stroke pic.twitter.com/RMgjfQB7u3

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 31, 2024

In his home state, Scheffler was attempting to match Dustin Johnson's 2017 hat trick, and in many ways it's remarkable that the 27-year-old came so close. Not only was Scheffler attacked by gremlins, but he would occasionally squabble with his driver and constantly rely on his superior iron game to keep him in the fight.

While his opponents may have been buoyed by Scheffler's mistakes at Memorial Park, there can be no doubt that he remains the overwhelming favorite for a second Masters title in three attempts. Scheffler now starts this week as the likes of Rory McIlroy hold prep events in San Antonio before arriving for the feature film Augista.

Yager is an interesting late-arriving developer, and now he will play an increasingly prominent role in the project. Luke Donald's radar for next year's Ryder Cup match in New York, Donald, the European captain, could only be impressed as the 34-year-old scored a final round 67 for a total of 12 to win by one.

Jager has previously won six titles on the Korn Ferry Tour, the premier competition circuit in the United States, and clearly has a killer instinct. He was one of the shortest hitters on Tour, but has added length over the last few seasons and his breakthrough earned him his Masters debut.