Entering the season, Sepp Straka made a change—and it didn’t have to do with his golf game.
Instead, he’s trying out a new hairdo.
“I was kind of losing my hair, so I figured I would get in front of it,” Straka said Saturday. “So, yeah, just went ahead and shaved it off.”
Now, to keep the good luck rolling, he can never grow it back.
The 31-year-old Austrian won the American Express at PGA West without carding a bogey until the 70th hole of the tournament. He finished at 25 under, two strokes ahead of runner-up Justin Thomas.
“Nerves, just complete nerves,” Straka said afterward when asked about his emotions. “Stomach in a knot, the whole nine. So, yeah, just really excited about the way I handled the pressure today.”
MORE: Final results, payouts from the American Express
Back in the winner's circle 🏆
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 20, 2025
@SeppStraka wins by two @TheAmExGolf. pic.twitter.com/KSCZotZ4zI
Straka had the 54-hole lead by four strokes, but noted after Round 3 that the Stadium Course, where the final round is played, “is the type of course where no lead is safe.” Straka came from five strokes back at the 2022 Honda Classic to notch his maiden Tour victory. And entering Sunday at the American Express, Charley Hoffman, Jason Day and Justin Lower were all within that threshold.
None of them, however, seriously challenged Straka for the lead. Hoffman fell down the leaderboard with back-to-back water balls on No. 13 en route to a triple bogey and finished T5 with Patrick Cantlay. Lower and Day both shot final-round 69s to place T3.
One stroke ahead of Day and Lower at 23 under was Thomas. Looking for his first win since the 2022 PGA Championship, Thomas put together a spirited rally on the front nine, shooting 5 under. However, only one birdie on the back didn’t allow the 15-time Tour winner to catch Straka.
“I had a chance,“ Thomas said afterward. “It wasn't obviously a great one on the back nine, but I was proud of myself. I did what I needed to do on the front nine today and at least be making some noise and kind of moving up the leaderboard.“
The first time all week Straka ran into trouble was on the par-5 16th. His approach landed in the right rough, and 50 feet from the hole, he was able to salvage bogey.
Still with a three-stroke lead, the world’s 36th-ranked player was able to easily get to the winner’s circle with a par on No. 17 and a bogey on the last for his third PGA Tour title—and first without hair.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sepp Straka Finds New Hairstyle, Wins American Express for Third PGA Tour Title.
