Sepp Straka is a serious contender at the 2025 US Open.
He is excellent from tee to green, his putting is solid, and he doesn’t miss many fairways. While Oakmont will be a hike for many, it might be a leisurely walk for the Austrian.
As the best players arrive at the most-visited host venue in US Open history, Straka will roll into Plum as ripe as anyone, if we discount Scottie Scheffler. He has momentum, experience of lifting trophies, and a growing reputation as one of the most consistent performers in Europe, and on the planet.
He hasn’t broken the top 10 in the world rankings by mistake. In addition to winning the American Express and Truist Championship, he has also impressed at Bay Hill, Sawgrass, the RBC Heritage, and the Memorial in 2025.
“I don’t really like to get too caught up in confidence or results,” Straka said ahead of his week at Oakmont.
“My game feels like it’s in a good place, but on this course, you have to execute and how you’ve played the past weeks doesn’t really matter. You just have to bring your best and try to limit the mistakes.”
Straka is probably right. You might be walking on water heading to Oakmont, and the course will force you under the surface before you know it.
It is a venue that has tested the game’s best since it first hosted the US Open in 1927. It is a golf course that is unapologetically tough with huge greens and juicy rough. Dustin Johnson won America’s national championship the last time it visited the Pennsylvania track in 2016.
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Sepp Straka US Open preview: You need to be able to execute
“The rough is definitely high,” Straka added, “and the penalty of missing shots is as high as anywhere else.
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“I feel like when I’m playing my best, I am able to put the ball in play well, so that’s going to be a huge part of my strategy this week.
“A lot of the US Opens I’ve played have required different skill sets depending on the venue,” he added. “This one probably requires the most complete skill set of the ones I’ve played.”
Straka was a winner before this season. He secured the Honda Classic in 2022 and the John Deere Classic in 2023. What we want to see now, especially European fans who always have one eye on the Ryder Cup, is Straka take the next step at the majors.
He came tied for second at The Open at Royal Liverpool in 2023, and came tied for seventh at the PGA Championship two months earlier. Without doubt, he is Austria’s best chance of winning a first major. Fellow countryman Bernd Wiesberger has been one of the best performers of the last 15 years in Europe, but he has notched only one major top-10.
Despite the excellence of Scheffler and the looming presence of Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau at the US Open, it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Straka finds himself in a position to win on Sunday.
He was tasked with hitting the opening tee shot on the first-day foursomes at the 2023 Ryder Cup, as if that tournament doesn’t inflict enough gutwrenching nerves on a rookie, and captain Luke donald will hope Straka can handle the pressure of the US Open cauldron, and further rubberstamp his Ryder Cup credentials for later this year, when Europe face the USA at Bethpage.
“My game feels like it’s in a good place,” Straka said, “but this course you have to execute… you just have to bring your best.”
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Straka will be wearing Mizzen+Main’s newly released polos from their Summer Selection (linked below), leaning into the Red, White, and Blue colour palette that is synonymous with the country’s annual national championship of golf.
“I love how versatile the style is. There seems to be an outfit for every day or mood that you’re in and that makes it fun for us when we wear different outfits week in and week out. On top of the great style, the comfort is unmatched. No matter the weather, there is something that will make you feel comfortable and ready to play your best.”
- Versa Polo, Set Sail Floral
- Versa Polo, Red Clay Heather
- Versa Polo, White Solid
- Versa Polo, Set Sail Honeycomb
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