Sepp Straka won the Truist Championship on Sunday, with Rory McIlroy sticking around to give his congratulations to the Austrian sensation – showing of class to his PGA Tour rival
Rory McIlroy was on hand to congratulate Sepp Straka for his Truist Championship win on Sunday, showing a touch of class. Two years back, the duo were team-mates in Team Europe’s victory over Team USA in the Ryder Cup, led by Luke Donald and Zach Johnson respectively.
Although McIlroy will have initially hoped to see his pal Shane Lowry win his first solo event in years, he stuck around to celebrate with Straka on Sunday, sharing a handshake and a hug. Speaking at a post-tournament press conference, Straka said: “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. 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.”
Previously needing a captain’s pick to join the team, Straka is keen to qualify outright for the Ryder Cup in New York at Bethpage this year. His world ranking of 17th before the weekend is set to soar after clinching the PGA Tour event, reports the Mirror US.
The victory is likely to catapult the Austrian into the top 10 globally, and he’s aware of what it takes to maintain that position. He added: “I would say consistency, consistency of working at it regardless of where I was in my game.
“Junior golf, I wasn’t all that good. I definitely had some talent. I could hit the golf ball fairly well, but very rough around the edges.
“At Georgia I just felt like I kept getting better. Had a quick bout with the chipping yips my junior year and redshirted, but other than that, I felt like I just kept getting better.
“After I graduated, same thing. I just kept trying to improve my golf game regardless of where I was compared to other people in my class because my high school class was pretty stacked.
“A lot of guys ended up finishing early and going onto the PGA Tour, and I was definitely not one of those. Regardless of where I was, I just kept trying to improve my golf game and hoped that at the end of it, it would be good enough to play out here.”
Straka is set to compete at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, aiming to maintain his impressive run of form and clinch his first major title. In 2023, Straka saw a T7 finish at the tournament, with his best major result being T2 at the 2023 Open Championship.
