Sepp Straka quashes rumour ahead of making European Ryder Cup debut

Austria's Sepp Straka, the man with an American accent, was quick to play down any talk of an allegiance to USA ahead of the Ryder Cup.

Andy Roberts

05 Sep 2023

Sepp Straka quashes rumour ahead of making European Ryder Cup debut

Austria's Sepp Straka has quashed all talk of any allegiance he has to the United States after Luke Donald named him one of his six captain's picks in the European Ryder Cup team this week.

Straka, 30, was born in Austria to an American mother and Austrian father.

He then moved to Georgia, United States, when he was 14 years old and he went on to represent the University of Georgia golf team alongside his twin brother Sam.

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During that period, however, he represented Team Austria at the 2011 European Boys Championship and he has not looked back since when it comes to his nationality.

In that event, he and his brother finished second behind Team Spain, which featured a certain Jon Rahm, who will be on the 2023 European Ryder Cup team with Straka.

But after spending the entirety of his golf career in the United States, a number of golf fans on social media have questioned whether the European Ryder Cup debutant with a remarkably strong American accent will really be that bothered about beating the stars and stripes at Marco Simone.

Straka, one of four rookies in the European Ryder Cup team this month, wanted to quash all talk of any allegiance he has to the USA.

The two-time PGA Tour winner said:

"I've never played for America in golf. I've always played under the Austrian bag since my first start at the Lyoness Open back in Austria, my first professional start.

"I played all my junior golf for Australia on the European Boys teams and the European Amateur team, so yeah, I kind of always assumed it would be for Europe and I've always played for the Austrian flag and proudly representing it."

On his American accent, Straka said:

"I was thinking about maybe getting a translator. Maybe my brother can translate for me for the week just so we don't have to hear it.

"But yeah, I don't think I can fake the American accent. I've got a few accents in me but yeah, it will be funny to kind of hear that accent all week."

Straka, who has risen to a current 23rd in the world rankings after picking up his second career title at the John Deere Classic in July, was named one of Donald's six captain's picks alongside Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and fellow rookies Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg.

Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, who made the team automatically, makes up the fourth rookie in the team.

European Ryder Cup Team 2023: Player Profiles, Past Form, Stats and Top Scorer Odds
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GolfMagic has taken a closer look at the 2023 European Ryder Cup team to see where the biennial contest could be won and lost.

We've also delved deeper into the potential Ryder Cup pairings we could see at Marco Simone.

How will Straka perform at the Ryder Cup? Was he deserved captain's pick? How many points will he take at the Ryder Cup? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.