Sepp Straka Bio
Josef “Sepp” Straka (born 1 May 1993) is an Austrian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, where he has won four titles. Born in Vienna, Austria, and raised partly in the United States, Straka has become one of the most successful Austrian players in the history of professional golf. Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, he combines power off the tee with a steady temperament, and his career has featured breakthrough victories, major championship contention, and a spot on the European Ryder Cup team.
Early Life and Background
Josef Straka was born in Vienna, Austria, on 1 May 1993. His mother was American and his father was Austrian; the couple met when his mother worked at a golf shop in Austria and sold a glove to his father. Straka speaks both German and English, and he has described his identity as fully Austrian and fully American. He has a twin brother, Sam, and the two boys played soccer during their youth before deciding to focus on golf at age 11, with Sam originally considered the stronger of the two.
The family moved to Valdosta, Georgia, when Straka was 14, so his mother could be closer to her American family. After the move, his father regularly flew back and forth to Austria to maintain his architecture business. Sepp and Sam attended Lowndes High School in Valdosta, where both played for the Lowndes Vikings golf team. As a junior, Sepp won the Austrian Junior Championship and recorded a victory on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, while his brother Sam won five times on the same tour. At the time they committed to the University of Georgia, Sam was ranked higher nationally, and Straka later noted that the UGA coach had originally focused on his brother before realizing Sepp could also play at a high level.
Path to Professional Golf
Sepp Straka represented Austria, alongside his twin Sam, at the 2011 European Boys’ Team Championship, where Team Austria finished second in an all-time best result, losing in the final to a Spanish team led by Jon Rahm. He went on to play collegiate golf at the University of Georgia from 2011 to 2016, where he redshirted the 2013–14 season while working through short-game yips. In March 2016, Straka shot a 7-under 65 in the final round of the Linger Longer Invitational to finish second individually, one stroke behind Georgia teammate Lee McCoy, the best individual finish of his collegiate career. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in management from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business in 2015.
Sepp Straka Career
Early Career (2016–2018)
Straka turned professional after completing college and played a number of tournaments on the 2016 PGA Tour Canada. He then qualified for the 2017 Web.com Tour season, where his best finish in 25 events was seventh place at the El Bosque Mexico Championship. Early in 2018, Straka secured his first professional victory by winning the Web.com Tour’s KC Golf Classic by one stroke. Later that year, he became the first Austrian golfer to earn a PGA Tour card after finishing tied for third place in the 2018 Web.com Tour Championship.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (2019–2021)
In his first season on the PGA Tour in 2019, Straka’s best finish was a third place at the 2019 Barbasol Championship, the alternate event to that year’s Open Championship. He also played in his first career major championship at the 2019 U.S. Open, after finishing tied for the lowest score at sectional qualifying in Milton, Ontario. An opening round of 68 put him in a tie for eighth, and a final-round 67 lifted him to a tie for 28th. He finished the regular PGA Tour season ranked 107th in the FedEx Cup, qualifying for the 2019 FedEx Cup Playoffs and keeping his card for 2020. Straka later competed in the Men’s individual event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, finishing tied for 10th overall.
PGA Tour Wins and Major Contention (2022–2023)
In February 2022, Straka became the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour when he captured The Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, shooting a final-round 66 to win by one shot over Shane Lowry. Later that August, he tied for the lead with Will Zalatoris after 72 holes at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, only to lose on the third sudden-death playoff hole after finding water off the tee. Early in the 2022–23 PGA Tour season, Straka lost another sudden-death playoff, this time to Mackenzie Hughes at the Sanderson Farms Championship. In July 2023, he won the John Deere Classic for his second PGA Tour title, and later that month he finished joint second at The Open Championship, six shots behind winner Brian Harman, his best major finish to that point. In September 2023, Straka played on the European team at the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy, where Europe won 16.5–11.5; Straka went 1–2–0, including a Sunday singles loss to Justin Thomas.
American Express and Truist Era (2025)
In January 2025, Straka won The American Express by two shots over Justin Thomas. He followed that up in May 2025 with a win at the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club, marking his second victory of the PGA Tour season and his fourth PGA Tour title overall. The two wins established him as one of the most consistent Austrian players in tour history and pushed his career into a new phase of contention.
Driving Style and Strengths
Straka’s game is built around his length and ball-striking. At 6 feet 3 inches and 220 pounds, he generates notable distance off the tee, and his long-iron play has been a steady strength across multiple seasons. His temperament and course management have also improved with experience, allowing him to convert strong ball-striking weeks into titles.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include becoming the first Austrian to earn a PGA Tour card in 2018, the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour at the 2022 Honda Classic, representing Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup, and tying for 10th at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. His four PGA Tour titles also place him as Austria’s most successful PGA Tour player.
Sepp Straka Career Wins
Sepp Straka has accumulated four PGA Tour titles and one Web.com Tour title across his professional career. His wins span the Honda Classic, the John Deere Classic, The American Express, and the Truist Championship, and they have been spread across a variety of course types, from resort layouts to classic parkland venues.
PGA Tour Highlights
Straka’s first PGA Tour win came at the 2022 Honda Classic, where his final-round 66 sealed a one-shot victory over Shane Lowry and made him the first Austrian to win on tour. He added the 2023 John Deere Classic in July and followed up with a two-shot win over Justin Thomas at the 2025 American Express. His fourth title came in May 2025 at the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club. Straka has also shown he can contend in the biggest events, including a runner-up finish at the 2023 Open Championship and a playoff loss at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Other Wins and Performances
Straka’s first professional victory came on the Web.com Tour at the 2018 KC Golf Classic, which he won by one stroke. He has also posted strong finishes on the developmental PGA Tour Canada circuit, and he tied for 10th in the Men’s individual golf event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Sepp Straka Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Straka comes from a bicultural household: his mother is American and his father is Austrian, and the couple met at a golf shop in Austria. He has a twin brother, Sam, who also played collegiate golf at the University of Georgia and represented Austria in junior events alongside Sepp. The brothers played soccer and golf together during their youth, with Sam originally considered the better golfer.
Personal Life
During his time at the University of Georgia, Straka was nicknamed “Ox” because of his size and his resemblance to John Candy’s character Dewey Oxberger in the film Stripes. He married his wife, Paige Dean, in 2021; the couple had met at the Auburn Sky Bar during an Auburn–Georgia football game, as Paige attended Auburn University. They welcomed their first child, a son, in 2023, and a second child in 2025. Straka and his family reside in Birmingham, Alabama.
2025 Season Performance
Sepp Straka’s 2025 PGA Tour season has been among the strongest of his career. He opened the year with a two-shot victory at The American Express over Justin Thomas, signaling early form. He then added a second title in May at the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club, giving him two wins in the same season for the first time on the PGA Tour and bringing his career total to four tour titles.
With two victories already in 2025, Straka has positioned himself solidly inside the FedEx Cup top tier heading into the summer majors and the second half of the schedule. His ball-striking consistency and improved play in scoring conditions have been central to his results, and his major-championship experience, including a runner-up finish at the 2023 Open Championship, gives him a clear foundation to push for contention at the remaining majors and a spot on the European Ryder Cup team.
Looking ahead, Straka’s main goals for 2025 include maintaining his place among the PGA Tour’s top performers, contending in a major championship, and securing another Ryder Cup appearance. With two wins already in hand and his game in peak form, the outlook for the remainder of the season is strong.