'It’s Hard To Believe I’ve Made It This Far' –Sepp Straka Reveals How He Became A Ryder Cup Player Despite Being The Second Best Golfer In His Family
Sepp Straka has won two times on the PGA Tour and lifted the Ryder Cup, but he might not have made it as a pro without his twin brother Sam...
![Sepp Straka with fans at the Ryder Cup](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e7u8kynrzfHrwZXgMaPDkB-415-80.jpg)
Sepp Straka made his debut in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club, delivering a point for Team Europe alongside Shane Lowry in a foursomes match against Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa on Friday morning.
It capped quite a rise for the Austrian, who graduated from the Web.com Tour in 2021 and claimed his first PGA Tour title at the 2022 Honda Classic. His triumph at the John Deere Classic the following year and a second-place finish in The Open at Royal Liverpool put him firmly on Luke Donald's radar.
But had it not been for his twin brother, Sam – someone he admits had more golfing ability than him growing up – Straka might not have made it to college and progressed to the professional ranks, as he explains...
"If you look back on my career as a whole, it’s hard to believe I’ve made it this far. Especially as my twin brother, Sam, was the one who looked more likely to go down this route. My parents are both golf nuts, so I suppose it was natural that Sam and I would take up the game, even though we enjoyed playing football more when we were growing up," he says.
“Sam was a better player than me. He was the goal-scoring striker, and I was the goalie. That sort of reflected the difference in our level of ability. Then, when we were about 11, we went to a junior golf camp arranged by our parents, and on the bus ride home Sam told me we were going to quit the football team and concentrate on golf.
Sepp with brother Sam at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2023
“It was the same story with golf. He was a better player than me, right up until the time we were recruited to play college golf. Not that I liked it very much! We hate losing to each other, but when we were younger it happened a lot to me. We would have chipping or putting contests, or matches against each other, and he won most of the time.
“I’ve always been a steady player, but he hits it longer and has a knack for the spectacular, the ability to make birdies from unlikely places. Thankfully, we never played each other for money. It was just about pride and bragging rights - otherwise I would have lost most of my pocket money to him!
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
“It was all credit to Sam that we ended up with scholarships to the University of Georgia. He was the one who got all the recruiting attention. The UGA coach was interested in Sam and realised only later that he had a brother who could play pretty well, too.
“Then somewhere along the line I got a lot better - another case of the unexpected happening, I guess - although Sam still plays to a high level, and still dreams of joining me on the PGA Tour one day. I’d love it if that happened.”
David brings a wealth of experience to Golf Monthly as a freelance contributor having spent more than two decades covering the game as The Sun's golf correspondent. Prior to that, he worked as a sports reporter for the Daily Mail. David has covered the last 12 Ryder Cups and every Masters tournament since 1999. A popular and highly-respected name in the press tents around the world, David has built close relationships with many of the game's leading players and officials.
- Nick BonfieldFeatures Editor
-
Which LIV Golfers Played In The Tokyo 2020 Olympics
The men’s field of 60 featured 14 players who would later sign for LIV Golf – here are the details on who they are and how they performed
By Mike Hall Published
-
The 5 LIV Golfers In Contention For The $18m Individual Title
With tournaments running out, there are still a handful of players in contention for the $18m individual title - here are the details
By Mike Hall Published
-
Royal Troon Member Colin Montgomerie’s In-Depth Open Championship Hole-By-Hole Guide
Colin Montgomerie, a member at this year’s Open host venue, gives his take on how the pros will try to navigate the famous old links…
By Nick Bonfield Published
-
‘I’ve Dreamed Of Winning The Open Since I Was 5 Years Old’ – Tommy Fleetwood On Why He 'Absolutely' Has The Game To Win At Royal Troon
Tommy Fleetwood has his sights firmly set on lifting the Claret Jug. We speak exclusively to the Englishman about his Open Championship memories and his desire to break his Major duck at Royal Troon
By Nick Bonfield Published
-
‘Phil Was Shocked. He Said It Was The First Time In His Career He’d Played That Well And Not Won’ – Henrik Stenson Recalls His Epic Open Victory At Troon
Henrik Stenson reflects on his stunning shootout with Phil Mickelson in 2016, a duel which will always be remembered as one of the greatest in Open history…
By Robin Barwick Published
-
‘My Wife Threw Me A Brian The Butcher-Themed Party. It Was A Riot’ – 2023 Open Winner Brian Harman On His Career-Changing Hoylake Victory, Hunting Banter With The British Media And His Love Of Links Golf
Brian Harman produced some brilliant golf at Royal Liverpool last year to land his first Major title. He talks exclusively about that week at Hoylake, the response to his victory, appreciating his success and more…
By Nick Bonfield Published
-
'Winning The Ryder Cup At Bethpage Would Be One Of The Highest Achievements In My Career' – Rory McIlroy Talks Exclusively About His Ryder Cup Passion, Pinehurst, Leaving A Legacy And Defining Success
In this exclusive interview, four-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy reflects on his career to date, the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, the year's final two Majors and leaving a legacy...
By Garrett Johnston Published
-
7 Reasons Why Golfers Are Great In Relationships
Golfers have a lot of desirable qualities when it comes to relationships, but how many of these apply to you or your other half?
By Neil Tappin Published
-
Is A Debut Masters And Major Victory Possible For Ludvig Aberg? 'I Mean, I'd Like To Think So, Absolutely'
Ludvig Aberg speaks exclusively to Golf Monthly about his upcoming Major debut in The Masters and the incredible start he's had to his professional career
By Michael Weston Published
-
Revealed... The Best Golfers In The England Football Team, According To Captain Harry Kane
Harry Kane is an accomplished golfer as well as a world-class striker. Here, the Bayern Munich player reveals the best golfers in the England football team
By Nick Bonfield Published