Stephan Jaeger had a record-setting run to remember this past weekend at the Web.com Tour's Ellie Mae Classic near San Francisco.
The former Baylor School and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golfing standout had rounds of 58, 65, 64 and 63 for a 30-under 250 at the par-70 course. His 250 set a four-round professional record, and his opening 58 broke the Web.com record. The lowest score in PGA Tour history is a 59.
Jaeger earned $108,000 for his seven-stroke victory and vaulted from 102nd to 20th on the Web.com money list with $139,793. The top 25 money leaders after the last four regular-season events will earn PGA Tour cards for 2017.
The 27-year-old German, who had one eagle, 29 birdies and one bogey in his victory, was a guest Tuesday afternoon on "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 FM.
Q: Your scores look like a misprint. What was that like to go through?
A: "It was kind of a surreal experience the whole week, really. The whole game was there. My driving was there. My irons play was there. I was putting well. Those weeks don't come very often, so I was very excited that it came together at once.
"My mom was there. It was like a Cinderella story, and I was very happy about it."
Q: How does the win adjust your focus in terms of getting a PGA Tour card?
A: "This changes the whole outlook on the rest of the year. I wasn't very high on the money list before last weekend, but now I'm trying to find a couple of more good finishes and trying to improve my status. I would love to get in the top 10 if I could, whereas before I was just trying to keep my (Web.com) status.
"A lot has changed in one week, and it's just incredible to think about that."
Q: Can you describe the confidence you had standing over the ball?
A: "From Thursday on, it was just lights out. I couldn't miss a shot if I tried, and those feelings don't come very often as a professional golfer. It's always a grind out there, so to have that feeling was awesome. It's hard to describe because it happens so rarely."
Q: When you're shooting a 58, is it almost like not talking about a no-hitter in baseball? Did you and your caddie even speak the last couple of holes?
A: "You try to keep your mind off of it and continue your routine. We can't stay away from each other, because you still have to talk about the next shot. You can't really stop talking, but we weren't about to mention that we were 11 under or whatever. That wasn't happening."
Q: What happened on the bogey?
A: "I three-putted a par 5 on the second day. I had just dropped the 58, and you never know what's going to happen in the follow-up round. I actually didn't hit a bad shot to the green and got it to six feet and just missed it. It was not the start I wanted that day, but I came back in the back nine and saved the day a little bit."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.