Question: Who’s the first Austrian to win a PGA Tour title? You guessed it: Sepp Straka, who actually has four.
Born in Vienna to an American mother and an Austrian father who is a golf course architect, Straka, now 32, moved to Valdosta, Ga., at age 14. He and his twin brother both played collegiate golf at the University of Georgia, where Sepp earned a business management degree. The brothers had strong junior careers, representing Austria at the 2011 European Boys’ Team Championship, finishing second together.
Straka turned professional in 2016 and debuted on Tour at the 2019 U.S. Open, finishing T28 and ending the season 107th in FedEx Cup rankings, securing his 2020 card. He represented Austria at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (T10) and the 2024 Paris Olympics (T35). His coaching team includes GOLF Top 100 Teacher John Tillery, who has worked with Sepp since late 2021, and short-game specialist Tim Yelverton.
Though he’s a big guy (6’3), Straka has recently shifted his driving strategy to prioritize accuracy over distance, leveraging his elite approach game. Under Tillery’s guidance, the approach has fueled four PGA Tour wins: the 2022 Honda Classic, 2023 John Deere Classic and 2025 American Express and Truist Championship. He may not be a household name quite yet, but he’s reached No. 7 in the world as of this writing. A quick study of his swing below shows why.
1. Address
Great setup for a tall guy, with more knee bend and upper-body tilt than shorter pros. His left arm extends slightly outward to keep him from standing too close to the ball. His slightly open shoulders are now a Tour standard.
2. Takeaway
Straka’s swing is dominated by his trail arm, which he rotates subtly. This allows him to track his hands slightly inward while rotating the clubface open to a near toe-up position. The clubhead remains between his elbows. Perfect.
3. Top
Because Sepp limits his trailarm rotation in the takeaway, both elbows reach the same height as he gets to the top. A flat left wrist caps things off nicely. Despite his large frame, he rotates his upper body fully, priming him for a powerful strike.
4. Downswing
Sepp slightly flattens his left wrist, keeping the shaft between his elbows and above his right forearm. Copy this! Here’s a visual: When you reach this position in the downswing, the scoring lines on your clubface should run vertically and point toward the sky.
5. Impact
Straka proves you don’t need to over-rotate your trail arm or lead excessively with your trail elbow to achieve the desired “trail arm under lead arm” impact position. Even with an open chest and hips, daylight remains between his arms. Love it.
6. Release
Sepp’s arms are back in front of his chest as they snap straight in his release. Notice how he’s driving his backside toward the target, with the butt of the club pointing away from the target — a good way to keep any drive in the fairway.
