Sepp Straka’s two-shot victory at The American Express looked nearly flawless because that’s what it was: The 31-year-old made 27 birdies, 43 pars and just two bogeys in La Quinta, Calif. to secure his third PGA Tour victory with a tournament total of 25 under par.
Straka played with his first 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour on Sunday, and he managed to maintain control of the tournament until the end. He carded a 3-under 33 on the front nine of PGA West’s Stadium Course and a 1-over 37 on the back. He dominated the field with his driver, ranking first in strokes gained off the tee, and supplemented that with an excellent approach performance and strong numbers on and around the greens. Straka gained nearly four shots on the field with his putter.
“Nerves, just complete nerves. Stomach in a knot, the whole nine (yards),” Straka said of his emotions during the final round. “Really excited with how I handled the pressure today.”
Back in the winner’s circle 🏆
@SeppStraka wins by two @TheAmExGolf. pic.twitter.com/KSCZotZ4zI— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 20, 2025
Straka made the turn with three consecutive pars, despite waiting on the 11th tee box for more than 10 minutes. The Austrian then extended his lead from three to four strokes with a birdie on the water-lined par-3 13th, nailing his tee shot to seven feet from 208 yards. Playing in threesomes with split tees, the final round pace of play crawled all afternoon at the Pete Dye design. The tournament wrapped up 30 minutes beyond the 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. television window on Golf Channel.
Straka’s only two blunders of the tournament came down the final stretch of the event, as the prospect of his latest win on tour became more real.
The first came on the par-5 16th — the same hole that features the course’s infamous 18-foot deep bunker, where PGA Tour rookie William Mouw made a 13 on Friday. Straka’s second shot found the dormant grass right of the fairway leaving a wedge shot with the treacherous bunker looming on the opposite side of the green. Straka’s third came up short, and he failed to get up and down to continue his bogey-free streak.
“On this golf course, you really can’t let up, you still have to make aggressive swings. You’re one swing away from a double bogey,” Straka said. “I think that was the biggest challenge of today, keeping aggressive with my targets.”
Straka secured the victory with a two-putt bogey on the par-4 18th.
A late charge from Justin Thomas posed a potential threat early in the day as the two-time major champion carded a 5-under par 31 on the front to catapult up the leaderboard into a tie for second place heading into the back nine. Thomas, a former world No. 1, has been clawing his way back to the top since his abysmal 2023 season when he missed the cut in three of the four majors and failed to make the FedEx Cup playoffs. The Louisville native has been bullish about the trajectory of his game this season, and his latest finish — T2 with a final round 66 — only adds to that momentum.
“It’s building blocks, right? It’s all part of the very long process that is our year and career, and I feel like I’ve been working on and doing the right things. It’s hard to win,” Thomas said. “There’s a reason there’s only one (winner) each week, and I unfortunately haven’t been that one for a little bit now, but I feel like I’m very, very close. I’m just staying patient and keeping my head down.”
Straka, a member of the victorious European Ryder Cup team in 2023, turned professional in 2016 after a collegiate career at the University of Georgia. His victory at the American Express comes after a T15 finish at The Sentry and a T30 at the Sony Open. Hailing from Vienna, Straka became the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour when he raised the Honda Classic trophy in 2022 for his maiden victory.
(Photo: Orlando Ramirez / Getty Images)
