Is Austria's Sepp Straka the world's best golfer who's not a household name?
By winning last week's Truist Championship, Austria's Sepp Straka earned a US$3.6 million paycheck, jumped into the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time and all but clinched a spot on Team Europe for the upcoming Ryder Cup.
One thing Straka did not do? Maintain his preference for staying below the radar.
"I'm not very outgoing," Straka said Wednesday, one day before he tees off in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. "I'm not a big people person. I'm a little bit shy.
"It makes it maybe a little bit easier to prepare for tournaments because you don't have all the eyeballs on you."
But, little by little, the 32-year-old Straka continues to blow his cover. He won the 2022 Honda Classic and the 2023 John Deere Classic to help claim his spot on Team Europe's victorious 2023 roster. This year, Straka has doubled his PGA Tour wins to four as he also collected the American Express in January.
His US$8,228,709 in PGA Tour winnings this season are exceeded only by Masters champion Rory McIlroy (US$13.9 million) and Justin Thomas (US$8.6 million). Oh, and Straka has jumped into fifth place in Ryder Cup points for the European side. The top six earn automatic bids to play for captain Luke Donald in September at Bethpage Black.
While it's too soon for anyone to be guaranteed a spot when Team Europe attempts to keep the Cup, Donald certainly sounded Wednesday like Straka should make some plans.
"Well, I think he was picked for a reason in '23," Donald said. "I think he's sort of proven that he deserves to be thought of as one of the best European players. Just a cool, calm, collected (golfer). Doesn't get too bothered by things, very consistent game, great putter.
"We saw that on Sunday (at Truist). He just sort of did what he knows he can do. Didn't seem to get too up, too down. Played extremely well. He's just a very, very consistent ball striker. He works hard on his game. There's not too many weaknesses in his game.
"I think he was great to be around, as well, in that team room (in Rome). He's just fun and joking and just an easy, easy guy to be around."
Straka doesn't want to assume anything.
"What a great week, great group of guys," he said. "The group chat (is) still going from the last one. Hoping to be in the group chat for the next one."
A good showing this week at Quail Hollow will go a long way toward ensuring that.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Soccer-Accidental double-touch penalties must be retaken if scored, says IFAB
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - LaLiga - Atletico Madrid v Real Valladolid - Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - April 14, 2025 Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez scores their first goal from the penalty spot REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo (fixes grammar in paragraph three) (Reuters) -Penalties scored when a player accidentally touches the ball twice must be retaken, world soccer's lawmaking body IFAB has said after Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez had his spot kick disallowed in a Champions League last-16 match. During a tense shootout with Real Madrid in March, Argentine forward Alvarez slipped and the VAR spotted that his left foot touched the ball slightly before he kicked it with his right. Although Alvarez converted the penalty, the goal was chalked off and Atletico went on to lose the shootout and were eliminated from the Champions League. European soccer's governing body UEFA said the correct decision was made under the current laws but IFAB (International Football Association Board) has said that in such cases the penalty must be retaken. "(When) the penalty taker accidentally kicks the ball with both feet simultaneously or the ball touches their non-kicking foot or leg immediately after the kick: if the kick is successful, it is retaken," IFAB said in a circular. "If the kick is unsuccessful, an indirect free kick is awarded (unless the referee plays advantage when it clearly benefits the defending team). In the case of penalties (penalty shootout), the kick is recorded as missed." The decision to disallow Alvarez's penalty left Atletico boss Diego Simeone livid and the club's fans outraged. IFAB added that if the penalty taker deliberately kicks the ball with both feet or deliberately touches it a second time, an indirect free kick is awarded or, in the case of shootouts, it is recorded as missed. The new procedures are effective for competitions starting on or after July 1 but IFAB said it may be used in competitions that start this month. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
After Madrid penalty furore, football's lawmakers rule for retakes
DOUBLE-TOUCHED penalties, such as the disallowed kick by Julian Alvarez that helped knock Atletico Madrid out of the Champions League, should in future be retaken, international football's rule-making body said on Tuesday. 'The situation where the penalty taker accidentally kicks the ball with both feet simultaneously or when the ball touches the penalty taker's non-kicking foot or leg immediately after they have taken the kick... is rare,' wrote Lukas Brud, the secretary of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in a circular. It did occur in the Champions League round-of-16 second matchup between Atletico and Real Madrid in March. The tie finished 2-2 on aggregate and went to a shoot-out. On his attempt, Alvarez slipped but still found the net. Video review detected that he touched the ball twice as he shot. The referee ruled the shot a miss under Law 14, which deals with the penalty kick, and Real went on to win 4-2. After the match, European governing body UEFA said that 'under the current rule, the VAR had to call the referee signalling that the goal should be disallowed'. UEFA said it would hold talks with FIFA and IFAB. Brud said the situation had not been addressed by the existing rule. 'As it is not directly covered in Law 14, referees have understandably tended to penalise the kicker for having touched the ball again,' wrote Brud. However, he added, the law 'is primarily intended for situations where the penalty taker deliberately touches the ball a second time before it has touched another player'. 'This is very different from the penalty taker accidentally kicking the ball with both feet simultaneously or touching the ball with their non-kicking foot or leg immediately after they have taken the kick, which usually occurs because they have slipped.' Brud pointed out that even an accidental second touch could be unfair to a goalkeeper because it changes the ball's trajectory. Therefore, he wrote, IFAB had decided that 'if the kick is successful, it is retaken'. If a kick during the game is unsuccessful, the result is an indirect free kick, as it would be for a deliberate second touch, unless the referee decides to play an advantage for the defending team. In a shootout it remains a miss.
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Sancho to leave Chelsea after loan spell
LONDON: Chelsea have rejected the chance to sign Jadon Sancho permanently from Manchester United after the winger failed to agree personal terms at Stamford Bridge, reports said Tuesday. The 25-year-old joined Chelsea on loan in August last year in a deal that featured an obligation to buy him for up to £25 million (US$34 million). The Athletic reported that the club and Sancho had failed to agree a deal and Chelsea must now pay a £5 million penalty charge to United. Chelsea finished fourth in the Premier League and won the UEFA Conference League, with Sancho scoring the third goal in last week's 4-1 win against Real Betis. But the England international has had an inconsistent season, scoring just five times and making 10 assists in 41 appearances for Chelsea. He scored just one Premier League goal after early December. When asked about Sancho's future following last week's Conference League victory in Poland, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said: "From now on we are going to sit with the club and decide what happens for next year." Sancho, whose contract at United runs until 2026, will return to Old Trafford. The club have an option to extend the deal by a further year. The forward joined United from Borussia Dortmund for £73 million (US$98 million) in 2021 but failed to live up to his price tag. He was involved in a public spat with former United boss Erik ten Hag early in the 2023/24 season and did not make another appearance before being loaned to his former club Dortmund. He played once for United in the 2024/25 season, in the Community Shield in August, before making the switch to Chelsea. Chelsea on Monday announced the signing of Portuguese midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting Lisbon in a deal worth £18 million.
