Sepp Straka won the John Deere Classic on Sunday with a 9-under 62 in the final round that could have been much better, double bogeying the final hole but taking the title by two shots when Brendon Todd and Alex Smalley failed. they were able to catch him. .
The 30-year-old Austrian who played at the University of Georgia won for the second time on the PGA Tour, moving up to No. 27 in the world and boosting his chances of representing Europe at the Ryder Cup this fall in Rome. He shot 73 on Thursday, but followed up with rounds of 63, 65 and 62.
«In my prime, I feel like I can compete with anyone. Obviously, the last three days I could have competed with almost anyone in the world, but growing up, I never thought I would have the chance to play on the court.» PGA Tour,» Straka said. This is all just one big dream come true.»
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Sepp Straka of Austria holds the trophy after winning the John Deere Classic golf tournament, Sunday, July 9, 2023, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Straka, who started an hour before the final field, started birdie-eagle and made four more birdies on the front nine to make a 7-under-par 28 at TPC Deere Run. He parred the par-5 10th hole, but made four straight birdies, none over 14 feet.
At the time, Straka was 11-under for the day and 23-under for the tournament, so he needed to play the last four holes at 1-par to shoot 59. Paul Goydos shot golf’s magic number in the first round in 2010 at TPC Deere Run
«I wasn’t going to change my game plan or strategy for ’59,» Straka said. «The goal was still to keep the same game plan and try to finish and win a golf tournament. As fun as 59 would be, I think winning the golf tournament is always more fun.»
Straka made routine pars at numbers 15 and 16 and was unable to climb up and down from a greenside bunker on the par-5 17th, missing a 9-foot birdie. On the par-4 18th hole, he hit his approach from 181 yards into the greenside pond for a total of 263 of 6 and 21 under par.
«I hit the ball very solidly, but it just drifted to the left of my target,» Straka said. «So, yeah, it was unfortunate timing because of a bad swing, but luckily it didn’t hurt me.»
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Sepp Straka of Austria walks on the 18th green during the final round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament, Sunday, July 9, 2023, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Straka went to the driving range to stay loose for a potential playoff. Playing in the final group, Todd and Smalley had plenty of holes to even it out, and Todd came closest when he birdied the par-4 14th hole to make it 20-under. But Todd bogeyed the par-3 16th and hit a sloppy wedge at the par-5 17th for another par.
«Obviously Sepp came out and played an amazing round. Hats off to him. Really happy for him. He’s a friend of mine,» said Todd, who also played for Georgia.
Smalley was 19 under par after his birdie at No. 14, but putt three for par at 17. Both players needed to hole out their drives at 18 and neither came close. They finished at 19 under par.
Smalley said that he did not know what Straka was doing in front of him until the announcer Colt Knost gave him a tip.
«Actually, I had no idea what was going on. I didn’t look at all, and that was my plan,» Smalley said. «If it wasn’t enough, then it wasn’t enough, and Sepp deserves to win with a 62. That’s an incredible game.»
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Sepp Straka of Austria holds the trophy after winning the John Deere Classic golf tournament, Sunday, July 9, 2023, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Ludvig Aberg finished with 63 to tie for fourth, the Swede’s best finish in four pro starts after a standout college career at Texas Tech. He was an 18-year-old alongside Adam Schenk (68).
«I expected it to be a lot of fun, but it’s even more fun than I thought it would be,» Aberg said of life as a pro.
Cameron Young, the highest-ranked player on the course at World No. 19 and a 36-hole leader, closed with a 68 and was part of a group of seven players at 16-under.