Sepp Straka narrowly misses uncommon PGA Tour historical past in American Categorical win

Sepp Straka was on a cruise management all week on the American Categorical. The Austrian entered Sunday with a four-shot lead and appeared to march to his third PGA Tour win whereas strolling into the report books.

Straka was capable of maintain off Jason Day and Justin Thomas on Sunday to safe the victory at 25-under-par. However his shot at becoming a member of an unique PGA Tour membership — one which even Tiger Woods isn’t a part of — went up in flames on the par-15 sixteenth gap.

Straka arrived on the sixteenth gap on Sunday having not made a bogey all week. He had gone 69 consecutive holes with out a bogey and wanted simply three extra bogey-free holes to turn out to be the fourth participant ever to win a 72-hole stroke play occasion whereas not making a bogey. Lee Trivino (1974 Larger New Orleans Open), J.T. Poston (2019 Wyndham Championship), and Tom Kim (2022 Shriners Youngsters’s Open) are the opposite three to realize such a feat.

Straka striped his drive down the sixteenth fairway, however then issues went awry, and his shot at historical past evaporated. After a prolonged look forward to the group forward to clear the inexperienced, Straka flared his second shot out to the correct. Not desirous to threat going over the inexperienced and into PGA West’s notorious bunker, Straka left his third shot in need of the inexperienced. His pitch from 50 toes got here up 15 toes brief, and his par putt scared the opening earlier than sliding by.

Straka tapped in for bogey — he made one other on the 18th — and held off a late cost from Day to assert the trophy with out the aspect of historical past.

After the win, the 31-year-old defined what transpired on the sixteenth gap, noting that the streak-breaking bogey was a product of the gravity of the notorious bunker and a nasty lie for his third shot.

“Yeah, 16, you simply don’t wish to find yourself within the bunker down there, so I sort of bailed out proper a bit of bit, Straka informed Golf Channel after the win. “It was unlucky it was in sort of tire monitor subsequent to the cart path however we couldn’t get cart path aid. It was actual grainy down there. I needed to get it up nearer to the inexperienced to the place I may sort of putt it on. It sort of got here out actual gradual and, yeah, from there, once more, you simply don’t wish to make the error of going lengthy. I obtained a bit of cute with it and spun it an excessive amount of. General, I hit putt and tried to make it.”

When requested about solely making two bogeys on the week, Straka was fast to reward his putter for bailing him out of many potential bogeys in the course of the week. Per Knowledge Golf, Straka gained 1.96 photographs on the greens this week. That ranked seventh amongst gamers who performed all 4 rounds.

Straka wasn’t the one participant along with his eye on a bogey-free week in La Quinta, California.

Taylor Moore went the gap, ending the event in a tie for seventh at 19-under. Moore turned the primary participant to go bogey-free for 72 holes and never win since Joaquin Niemann did so on the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Traditional. Niemann misplaced that event in a playoff whereas Moore completed six photographs again of Straka.

With a win, Straka turned the seventh Worldwide participant to win the American Categorical, and he did so with nice course administration and a capability to handle what he was feeling on the within whereas making an attempt to guard a four-shot lead.

“Nerves,” Straka stated when requested what he felt coming down the stretch.

Straka saved his nerves in verify to complete off a superb week on prime, nevertheless it may have been one thing historic if not a stumble coming dwelling.