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LA QUINTA – Sunday joke? Not at all.
Sepp Straka dominated his nearest competitors for the majority of the back nine in the closing round of the American Express at PGA West’s Pete Dye Stadium Course on Sunday afternoon. With a relatively secure advantage, he could have recorded two bogeys in the last three holes (his first bogey in a 72-hole tournament), but he finished strong with two putts, concluding with a PGA Tour total of three. He claimed the victory.
On this occasion, the two-putt green was advantageous and appealing. Straka commenced Sunday with a four-stroke advantage and notched three birdies on the front nine to reach 26 under, though he still maintained just a three-stroke lead over seasoned player Charlie Hoffman in the middle of the round…in front of Hoffman. He is striving for his second career triumph in this tournament. On the par-3 13th hole in the desert, he found himself in the water twice and recorded a triple-bogey 6.
To underscore his scoring efforts, Straka achieved 13 birdies, ending at 27 under. Though the leaderboard dynamics shifted, the outcome remained unchanged. Justin Thomas, with a score of 6-under 66, finished second at 23 under, followed by Justin Lauer and Jason Day at 22 under. Day missed several of his putts just before they reached the hole. If not, it might have been a tougher battle.
And if you’re seeking a definition of dominating, as related to a leader maintaining a distance from the field, here it is.
“When you make a birdie or anticipate making a birdie, he’ll consistently do the same. That’s essentially what it takes to secure a tournament,” Day expressed. “Especially when you have a substantial lead like he possessed today, you must continue to push and ensure you receive enough breaks like he did. Even if you make a bogey, you can still manage it.” It’s quite straightforward to grasp.
“I wished I could have closed in a bit closer to make him ponder it a little more.”
Straka, a former star at the University of Georgia who was born in Austria and relocated with his family to Valdosta, Ga., at the age of 14, celebrated his third tour event victory in 169 appearances, employing a different strategy than in his previous two championships.
Both of those wins were secured by coming from behind on the final day. At the Honda Classic in February 2022, he approached the final round with a five-stroke lead over Daniel Berger and won the round with a 66, surpassing Shane Lowry by one stroke. At the Honda Classic in July of the following year, he trailed Brendon Todd by four strokes after three rounds. He played against John Deere and emerged victorious by two strokes with a 62 on the last day.
“I believe it’s a completely different emotion,” he said on Sunday. “I felt anxious at that moment. When you compete against others, the nerves tend to kick in. But, yes, I felt a bit nervous about (Georgia football coach) Kirby Smart’s position in matches and tournaments. It’s said we are not the hunters but the hunted. I liked that term. And yes, I felt like that. I was attempting to stay aggressive with my targets, yet also I was conscientiously working towards that, and I performed really well today.”
Perhaps there’s an underlying advantage in playing golf for a Southeastern Conference program beyond links skills: the opportunity to draw from the experience of a coach well-versed in significant pressure and substantial rewards. Interestingly, second-place finisher Thomas (an alumnus of the University of Alabama) claimed the tournament title a year earlier when Crimson Tide golfer Nick Dunlap won as an amateur and subsequently turned professional shortly thereafter. I observed them closely as they lined up in a tie.
(Yes, we are aware. I mean…well, you understand what the SEC’s marketing motto will likely be.)
Straka’s advantage heading into Sunday’s round may be traced back to Friday’s second round. Straka carded a 64 that day on the Stadium Course, placing him one stroke behind co-leaders Hoffman and Rico Hoey. He took the lead on Saturday with another 64 at La Quinta.
“I kept hitting my marks, focused on birdies, and made several birdies,” Straka remarked on Friday. “My putting was excellent that day, and my striking was precise. Whenever you can deliver the lower rounds of a tournament on a stadium course, it’s promising. It signifies you executed well that day. It was a mistake. It was my most significant round of the week.”
Winning, regardless of the approach, nurtures confidence and provides you with more momentum. That mental advantage, however marginal, can lead to a notable difference on this fierce tour.
“I think I previously sensed that my best was sufficient,” Straka shared. “I couldn’t manage to deliver my best across four rounds. Well, when I accomplished that at the Honda, it undeniably instilled belief in me, but I already felt that if I executed my best, I could triumph. It’s straightforward to have that feeling when you’re performing well, (but) when you’re struggling, it appears distant. Therefore, I think as a golfer, managing the highs and lows is vital because the highs are genuinely elevated and the lows are significantly low. I believe it’s essential to aim for a consistent balance throughout everything.”
Straka had the most significant victory of the day, but Chris Ventura also had his moment earlier with a hole-in-one on the 208-yard par-3 13th hole. Ventura, who has dedicated most of the past few seasons to the Korn Ferry Tour, hails from Puebla, Mexico, and has a background at Oklahoma State, competing for Norway in last summer’s Paris Olympics.
(And no, I’m not going to drop any Ace Ventura one-liners…)