Sepp Straka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sepp Straka |
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Straka at the 2025 Travelers Championship
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Josef Straka |
| Nickname | Sepp |
| Born | 1 May 1993 Vienna, Austria |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 235 lb (107 kg; 16.8 st) |
| Residence | Vestavia Hills, Alabama, U.S. |
| Spouse | Paige Dean Straka |
| Children | 1 |
| Career | |
| College | University of Georgia |
| Turned professional | 2016 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour European Tour |
| Former tour(s) | Korn Ferry Tour PGA Tour Canada |
| Professional wins | 5 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 4 |
| Web.com Tour | 1 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
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| The Masters Tournament | T16: 2024 |
| U.S. Open | T28: 2019 |
| The Open Championship | T2: 2023 |
| PGA Championship | T7: 2023 |
Josef "Sepp" Straka (born on May 1, 1993) is a professional golfer from Austria. He plays on the PGA Tour, which is one of the biggest golf tours in the world. Sepp has won four titles on the PGA Tour.
Contents
About Sepp Straka's Early Life
Where Sepp Was Born
Sepp Straka was born in Vienna, Austria, on May 1, 1993. His mother is American, and his father is Austrian. They met in Austria when his mom worked in a golf shop.
Moving to the United States
When Sepp was 14, his family moved to Valdosta, Georgia, in the United States. They moved so his mother could be closer to her family. Sepp's father often flew back to Austria for his architecture business. Sepp can speak both German and English. He once said he feels "100% Austrian, 100% American."
Sepp's Twin Brother and College
Sepp has a twin brother named Sam. Sam also played golf at the University of Georgia. Sepp studied business management there. Both brothers played soccer when they were younger. They decided to focus on golf when they were 11. Sepp said that the coach at the University of Georgia was first interested in Sam. The coach later realized Sepp was also a good player.
Sepp's Nickname and Family
During his time at the University of Georgia, Sepp was nicknamed "Ox." This was because he was tall and strong. He is about 6 feet 3 inches tall. Sepp's wife, Paige, went to Auburn University. They met at a football game. They got married in 2021 and had a son in 2023.
Sepp's Amateur Golf Career
High School Golf
Sepp went to Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia. He played on the Lowndes Vikings golf team with his twin brother, Sam. When Sepp was a junior, he won the Austrian Junior Championship. He also won a tournament on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour. His brother Sam won five times on that tour.
Playing for Austria
In 2011, Sepp and Sam played together for Austria. They competed in the European Boys' Team Championship. Their team finished second, which was a great achievement. They lost in the final to the Spanish team.
College Golf at Georgia
Sepp played college golf for the University of Georgia from 2011 to 2016. He had a great finish in March 2016. He shot a very low score of 65 in a tournament. This helped him finish second, which was his best college result.
Sepp Straka's Professional Golf Career
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Starting as a Pro
Sepp became a professional golfer after college in 2016. He played in several tournaments on the PGA Tour Canada. Then, he qualified for the 2017 Web.com Tour season. The Web.com Tour is now called the Korn Ferry Tour.
First Professional Win
Sepp made history by becoming the first Austrian golfer to earn a PGA Tour card. This means he qualified to play on the main PGA Tour. He did this by finishing well in the 2018 Web.com Tour Championship. Earlier that year, Sepp won his first professional tournament. He won the KC Golf Classic on the Web.com Tour.
Playing on the PGA Tour
In his first PGA Tour season, Sepp finished third at the 2019 Barbasol Championship. He also played in his first major championship, the 2019 U.S. Open. He finished tied for 28th place. Sepp played well enough to keep his PGA Tour card for the next season.
Representing Austria in the Olympics
Sepp Straka represented Austria at the 2020 Summer Olympics (which took place in 2021). He finished tied for 10th place in the men's golf event.
First PGA Tour Wins
In February 2022, Sepp became the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour. He won The Honda Classic in Florida. He shot a great final round to win by one shot. In August 2022, he tied for the lead at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He lost in a sudden-death playoff.
In July 2023, Sepp won the John Deere Classic. This was his second PGA Tour win. After that, he finished tied for second place at The Open Championship. This was his best finish ever in a major tournament.
Playing in the Ryder Cup
In September 2023, Sepp played for the European team in the 2023 Ryder Cup. This is a big team competition between Europe and the United States. The European team won the Ryder Cup!
More Recent Wins
In January 2025, Sepp won The American Express tournament. He won by two shots. In May 2025, he won the Truist Championship. This was his second win of the 2025 PGA Tour season.
Sepp Straka's Professional Wins (5)
PGA Tour Wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 Feb 2022 | The Honda Classic | −10 (270) | 1 stroke |  Shane Lowry |
| 2 | 9 Jul 2023 | John Deere Classic | −21 (263) | 2 strokes |  Alex Smalley, Brendon Todd |
| 3 | 19 Jan 2025 | The American Express | −25 (263) | 2 strokes | Justin Thomas |
| 4 | 11 May 2025 | Truist Championship | −16 (264) | 2 strokes | Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas |
Web.com Tour Wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 Aug 2018 | KC Golf Classic | −22 (262) | 1 stroke | Kyle Jones |
Sepp Straka in Major Championships
Major championships are the most important golf tournaments.
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T30 | T46 | T16 | CUT | |||
| PGA Championship | T66 | 78 | T7 | CUT | CUT | ||
| U.S. Open | T28 | CUT | CUT | T56 | CUT | ||
| The Open Championship | NT | CUT | T2 | T22 | T52 |
Top 10 Did not play CUT = missed the half-way cut (did not play all rounds)
"T" = tied for that position
NT = no tournament
Sepp Straka in The Players Championship
The Players Championship is another very important golf tournament.
| Tournament | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | T9 | T65 | T16 | T14 |
Top 10 CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team Appearances
Sepp Straka has played for different teams in golf competitions.
As an Amateur
- European Boys' Team Championship (representing Austria): 2011
As a Professional
- Hero Cup (representing Continental Europe): 2023 (his team won)
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2023 (his team won)
