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Why Jaeger swapped ball markers before win, and why it mattered

Before every round, Stephan Jaeger plays a game of ball-marker roulette. He reaches into his golf bag and blindly pulls out one of three options, all made by his wife: 1. His son Fritz’s name with a four-leaf clover; 2. His dog, Phil; 3. Papa Klaus, for his late father.

Before notching the first PGA Tour victory of his career on Sunday at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, the 34-year-old German, after three straight days of drawing the Fritz marker, drew the one honoring his father, who died just over two years ago, during the week of the 2022 Players Championship.