Sepp Straka continued his impressive record whenever leading either Shane Lowry or Justin Thomas on the PGA Tour, with the Austrian winning the Truist Championship by two shots at Philadelphia Cricket Club.
It was Sepp Straka who was able to get across the line at the Truist Championship. The 32-year-old was able to recover from a shaky start after the turn on Sunday to triumph.
It is Straka’s fourth win on the PGA Tour. And remarkably, both Shane Lowry and Justin Thomas have finished second to Straka on two occasions.
With Straka and Lowry in the final group, it was probably not particularly surprising to see Rory McIlroy hang around after his final round. Of course, McIlroy and Lowry, in particular, are very good friends.
What Rory McIlroy told Sepp Straka after the Truist Championship
But McIlroy did make a point to celebrate with Straka as he left the 18th green. And following his victory, Straka – who also won The American Express earlier this year – shared what the Northern Irishman said to him.
“He told me at least this win counts for Ryder Cup points. Yeah, really, really happy for that. I’ve been kind of behind in the points because of that win at Amex not counting,” he said.
“I knew that, if I just kept playing good golf, I would have a chance to be there. I’m sure this will probably help me out with the rankings a lot. So very grateful, and hopefully I can keep the good play going and keep getting some more points.”
Sepp Straka issues verdict on playing the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club
It was a unique experience heading to Philadelphia. With Quail Hollow hosting the PGA Championship this week, the Truist Championship was moved to another venue.
The Wissahickon Course asked very different questions to the usual PGA Tour venue. Hitting driver absolutely everywhere was not an option.
And when asked about playing in the city, Straka insisted that he had a fantastic time.
“It was incredible. It was awesome. You always hear about Philly sports fans, and it really is true. They get into it. They were out there during the practice rounds all the way through the end on Sunday,” he said.
“Just really special. You could really feel that everybody was happy to have the event here. It made it so much fun to play in front of those fans.
“I rooted for the Eagles a little bit last year because my Bulldogs had a lot of guys on defense there. Every time I heard a Go Birds, it was kind of fun to hear that. No, it was an awesome experience to play in front of the Philly fans. I think next year maybe the PGA is coming back here. So really looking forward to that opportunity.”
“That’s pretty cool. I think that’s a one-and-done. That’s going to be my most special trophy for sure,” he added when asked about winning a trophy in the shape of a cricket bat.
The PGA Tour should now be tempted to visit venues like Philadelphia Cricket Club more often. The course certainly provided a much more exciting stage than either TPC Louisiana for the Zurich Classic or TPC Craig Ranch for The CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
Obviously, there is a balance to be had. As Straka noted, the event was even more special because there are unlikely to be too many more visits to the venue ahead on the PGA Tour.
But the tour would definitely be wise to look at holding more tournaments at the venues which boast real character.
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