Third major title

Sepp Straka wins PGA tournament in La Quinta

Third major title for Sepp Straka(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Professional golfer Sepp Straka has won the PGA Tour tournament in La Quinta (California) with prize money of 8.8 million dollars. The Austrian finished two strokes ahead of Justin Thomas from the USA and three strokes ahead of Justin Lower from the USA and Jason Day from Australia on Sunday (local time) to triumph for the third time overall on the PGA Tour.

In February 2022, he had prevailed in Palm Beach (Florida), then in July 2023 at the John Deere Classic in Silvis (Illinois). Straka was in eighth place after the opening round, moved into third place the following day and finally laid the foundations for victory on Saturday with a round of 64. The 31-year-old tackled the final round with a lead of four strokes and always kept his pursuers at bay.

Weak phase in the finish without consequences
Birdies on holes 1, 4, 7 and 13 left the competition in despair. Straka's initially toughest opponent, the US American Charley Hoffman, finally missed his chances with two water balls on the 13th. Only at the end did the Austrian experience a slight flutter of nerves, but this had no consequences. Straka suffered his first loss of shot at this event on the 16th green and produced another bogey on the 18th hole, finishing with a round of 70.

However, his victory was no longer in danger. "I was already very nervous and had a knot in my stomach. Now I'm very happy with how I dealt with the pressure," explained Straka.