STEVE DOUGLAS Associated Press
GUIDONIA MONTECELLIO, Italy — Sepp Straki’s mother is American, he attended an American university, lives in the United States, and his undeniably American accent has a Southern drawl.
Yet he was there on Tuesday, dressed in the white, yellow and blue of Europe, walking the fairways of the Marco Simone Club near Rome with Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry.
Straka, 30, who was born in Austria and moved to the United States when he was 14, never thought about playing for anything other than Europe. And he has the blessing of his family.
“They’re all from Team Europe,” Straka said.
For Straka, there have been no mixed emotions this week, despite an upbringing that makes him, as he says, “kind of a split.”
He never represented the United States in golf, preferring to play under the Austrian flag since flying back to Europe for the European Junior Team Championship in 2011, around the time he was preparing to attend college in Georgia.
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In 2021, he wore the red uniform of Austria at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
According to International Golf Federation policy, a player with dual citizenship will have to wait at least four years to play another international competition under a different flag. Straka doesn’t seem interested.
“I’ve always felt very close to my Austrian heritage,” Straka said. “My father is Austrian (and) always made sure that I spent a lot of time coming back.
“Even my mom, who grew up in the States and is 100% American, she spent 24 years in Austria. She fell in love with this country, and I think she is probably as Austrian as many Austrians.”
Europe’s Sepp Straka hits his tee shot on the 2nd hole during a practice round of the Ryder Cup on Tuesday at Marco Simone Golf Club in Guidonia Montcellio, Italy.
Andrew Medicini, Associated Press
Indeed, it was Mary Straka’s decision to travel to Austria with her then-boyfriend that started this entire chain of events. When that relationship ended, she stayed in the country, started working in a pro shop in Salzberg, and sold golf gloves to a customer, Peter, whom she eventually married.
They moved to Valdosta, Georgia with their 14-year-old twin sons Sepp and Sam, who by then were both talented golfers.
Sixteen years of living in Georgia, including time at the University of Georgia, had Americanized Sepp, making this a potentially awkward week in the pan-European team room. However, Europe captain Luke Donald said Straka had “not faced any ridicule” so far.
“He may have an American accent and live in Georgia, but some of us live in America and some of us are married to American girls,” said Donald, one of those people. “That’s just the way it is. We’re all Team Europe this week.”
Straka’s commitment to the European cause was underlined by his decision in January to travel across 14 time zones to play the Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi, a competition between golfers from Great Britain, Ireland and continental Europe that gave them a taste of match play. pressure that some of them will face in the Ryder Cup.
He got on well with other players and European team management such as Donald and vice-captain Francesco Molinari, but he still had to back up that experience with results this year if he wanted to become the second player to represent Austria in the Ryder Cup after Bernd . Wiesberger.
A victory at the John Deere Classic in July and then a second-place finish at the British Open were the highlights of 2023, as Straka finished seventh at the PGA Championship, sixth at the Tour Championship and rose to 22nd in the world rankings.
By the time Donald announced his six captaincy selections in early September, Straka had most likely always been among them and was therefore heading to Italy, a country where his family went on summer holidays – as many Austrians do – and he often chose juniors. golf camps.
“Growing up, it was always our No. 1 place to go,” Straka said.
Straka won’t be the loudest player on the team. He likes to keep to himself and was by far the quietest among his crowd-favorite practice group that played 18 holes on Tuesday.
A partnership with Lowry is a possibility if (or when) Donald calls up Straka on Friday or Saturday.
Whenever that time comes, Straka will be marked by yet another connection to the United States. His caddie, Duane Bock, grew up on Long Island but has also been promoted to the European team – he has already replaced the US cover in his yardage book.