Sepp Straka ‘sinks’ chance at historic 59, still captures 2nd PGA Tour win at John Deere Classic
Sepp Straka had a shot at 59, but an unfortunate shot on 18 left him to salvage with just his 2nd PGA Tour win at the John Deere Classic.
Former Georgia Bulldog Sepp Straka went nuclear on TPC Deere Run as he shot a final-round 62 at the John Deere Classic to win by two strokes and take home PGA Tour win No. 2.
Straka came from four shots back and steamrolled the rest of the competition. However, he had to hold his breath for an hour or so while the final groups finished.
Straka had a chance to shoot 59, but a costly mistake at the par-4 18th. His approach shot found water, killing any chance at the historic figure.
It was an unfortunate end considering Straka only needed to go 1-under in his final four holes to get that iconic number. Instead, he went 2-over with a double on 18.
“That was the first bad shot I hit today I think, so I’ll give myself a little bit of slack there,” Straka said to Amanda Renner on CBSSports. “The 59 was nowhere in my head. I knew I had a chance, but in that situation, the only thing that really matters is trying to win the golf tournament.”
That mistake doesn’t detract from the mind-numbing round of golf he put together. Nine birdies, an eagle and a double bogey made up his day.
He started his day off with a birdie on the first and an eagle on the par-5 2nd. Straka followed that 3-under start with birdies on the Nos. 4, 6, 7 and 9 holes to go out in 28.
10-under thru 13 @SeppStraka is officially on #59Watch pic.twitter.com/esCVmQtHVr
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 9, 2023
The longer his round went on, the more people realized that a sub-60 score was in play. Straka made a par on the par-5 10th but got red hot again. Four straight birdies put him at 11-under on the day with four to play.
He followed up with three consecutive pars, needing a birdie on the 18th to card a 59.
Straka watched the final groups come down the stretch nervously.
Fellow Georgia Bulldog Brendon Todd and Alex Smalley challenged the clubhouse score, but neither could ultimately catch him.
This win shot him up the FedEx Cup rankings, moving from No. 50 to No. 18. He also has a shot at making the European Ryder Cup team.