Sepp Straka: Player Profile
Who is Sepp Straka?
Sepp Straka is another of the young European cohort on the PGA Tour to have come through the American collegiate system.
The Austrian made the move to the United States at the age of 14 along with his family, and would go on to play collegiate golf at the University of Georgia. After graduating with a Business Management degree, Straka won on the Web.com Tour before becoming the first Austrian-born player to secure a PGA Tour card.
Straka continued to make history for his nation, as his win at the Honda Classic in 2022 was the first by an Austrian on the PGA Tour. He now has two wins on Tour, having also been victorious at the John Deere Classic a year later. Straka also finished joint runner-up at the Open Championship in 2023 as well.
He follows in the footsteps of Bernd Wiesberger, becoming only the second Austrian to feature in the Ryder Cup. Thanks to Straka’s performances over the course of 2023, European captain Luke Donald selected the Austrian as one of his six captain’s picks and he helped the team to victory at Marco Simone.
Sepp Straka | An Overview
Personal Information
Name: Josef ‘Sepp’ Straka
Born: May 1, 1993
Nationality: Austria
Residence: Vestavia Hills, Alabama, United States
Career
College: University of Georgia
Turned Pro: 2016
Professional Wins: 3
Highest World Ranking: 23 – August 27, 2023
Best Results In Majors
Best Finishes:
– Masters Tournament – T16 (2024)
– PGA Championship – T7 (2023)
– US Open – T28 (2019)
– Open Championship – T2 (2023)
Professional Wins – 3
2018 (1) – KC Golf Classic
2022 (1) – Honda Classic
2023 (1) – John Deere Classic
Sepp Straka | What’s In His Bag?
The Austrian uses a mixed bag of clubs. He has TaylorMade driver and fairway woods, and uses Srixon irons with Cleveland wedges, along with an Odyssey putter.
You can check out our full article on Sepp Straka’s what’s in the bag here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Sepp Straka
When and where was Sepp Straka born?
Sepp Straka was born in Vienna, Austria on May 1, 1993. The family moved to Valdosta, Georgia, United States when Sepp was 14.
When did Sepp Straka turn professional?
Straka turned professional after graduating from the University of Georgia. He graduated with a degree in Business Management, and began his professional career on the PGA Tour Canada in 2016, before moving up to the Web.com (now Korn Ferry) Tour a year later.
How many PGA Tour titles has Sepp Straka won?
As of September 2023, Straka is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour. He claimed his maiden PGA Tour victory in February 2022, beating Shane Lowry by a single shot to win the Honda Classic. He then doubled his tally with a victory at the John Deere Classic in 2023, firing in a final round of 62 to win by two strokes.
Who is Sepp Straka married to?
Straka is married to Paige Dean, with the pair getting married in 2021. Dean is the senior acquisitions manager at Southern Veterinary Partners.
Did you Know?
Playing Alongside Twin Brother
Sepp’s twin brother Sam was another member of the team at the University of Georgia. The pair also represented Austria at the European Boys Team Championship, where they came 2nd, which was the highest finish for Austria in the competition.
Austrian PGA Tour History
After finishing in the top 20 on the Web.com Tour Finals money list in 2018, Straka secured his PGA Tour card for the 2018-2019 season. In doing so, he became the first Austrian-born player to secure a full-time PGA Tour card. He then became the first Austrian winner on Tour with his victory at the Honda Classic in 2022.
Breakout Major Season
2023 was Straka’s best year as a professional. Along with winning the John Deere Classic, Straka finished in the top ten of a major for the first time. He came home in a tie for 7th at the PGA Championship, before then finishing T2 at the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Other Sepp Straka Articles
Austria’s second ever Ryder Cup player – who is Sepp Straka?
Sepp Straka ‘flew under the radar’ to best major finish at The Open
What do you make of Sepp Straka’s career so far? Can the Austrian win major titles? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
