Former Baylor School and UTC golfer Stephan Jaeger finished 28th last year on the Web.com Tour, earning $147,024 but just missing out on a top-25 finish and the reward of a PGA Tour card for this year.
After winning last weekend's rain-shortened BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greenville, S.C., and pocketing the $126,000 check, Jaeger vaulted to No. 7 on the Web.com money list with $138,235. He was a guest Monday of "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 FM.
Q: When you shot the 65 on Saturday and took the one-stroke lead, did you know you had the chance to win if Mother Nature took over?
A: "I didn't think about it during the round, but a reporter asked me about that afterward. In my mind, I thought about doing some rain dances that night, but you just never know with the weather. It could have said 100 percent rain the night before, and the next day you're playing.
"I was excited about having the lead and was excited going into Sunday, but we didn't get to play, which I'm not too mad about."
Q: You're only about $22,000 away from the 25th-place finisher last year. Could another top-five finish clinch it for you?
A: "If you think about it that way, then yes, but in the shoes I'm in now, I'm gunning for No. 1. That gets you into every event next year, and it gets you into The Players (Championship). I'm seventh on the money list and back about $30,000 or $40,000, and this could come down to the final event, and anything could happen there.
"I think $150,000 or $160,000 would probably do it, but if I only make $20,000 between now and the end of the year, I know I'll have done something really wrong, especially the way I'm playing now. I'm feeling really good about my game."
Q: You talk about feeling good now, but what was it like in the offseason after missing the top 25 and then being 103rd in the money before this win?
A: "I kept telling people these last couple of weeks that I was close. I had a good week in Indiana a couple of weeks ago and then missed the next two cuts. I didn't really feel like I was that far off. I had one bad hole in Mexico and made a 9 on a par-4, which for a professional golfer is not what you need on a scorecard.
"I kept thinking it would eventually show up, and when I got to Greenville, it all came together. I would have liked to have seen what Sunday was like, because you just never know what kind of feelings you will have on a Sunday. I didn't get to do that, but hopefully in upcoming weeks I'll have the chance for a Sunday run."
Q: Your first Web.com title last year in California had the 58 and a lot of national headlines. Is winning a second time different?
A: "It feels very, very different. Last year, I really didn't have a good season except for that win. This year, I feel like my game has gotten a lot better. As golfers, we want to get better every year, whether that's in junior golf or in college. I feel like I'm more ready mentally, and I'm used to it a little more.
"The 58 last year was a lot as far as the national news, and it was hard to play those next few weeks, because it was all everybody wanted to talk about. I didn't do enough those next few weeks, and I've learned from that. I'm glad we've got the week off now to settle down a little bit."
Q: Turning to our rapid fire, what was the first thing that went through your mind when they called off Sunday's round?
A: "That I drive an Audi in a BMW tournament."
Q: Do you think you'll laugh a little harder at Bill Murray talking about the hard stuff not coming down for a while in "Caddyshack"?
A: "It's funny, because I heard that line about an hour before they called it."
Q: When they called it and you went to the 19th hole, what did you order?
A: "I had a Coors Light. That was my beer of choice."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.