U.S. Players Make Moves as Sepp Straka Goes Low for Win

With a chance at the 13th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history, Sepp Straka rinsed his approach shot on the 72nd hole — but he still left the John Deere Classic with a noble consolation prize.

A win.

The 30-year-old Austrian set himself apart on a crowded leaderboard with a final-round 62 for his second Tour victory, despite a double bogey on the last and being T-133 after 18 holes, which is the worst position by a Tour winner after Round 1 since 1983.

"The goal was still to keep the same game plan and try to finish and win a golf tournament," said Straka, who finished at 21 under. "As fun as the 59 would be, I think winning the golf tournament is always more fun."

Because whether it's a 59, or a win on the world's top golf circuit, Straka never imagined either would be possible.

"Growing up I never would have thought I would have a chance to even play on the PGA Tour," Straka said. "This is all just a big dream come true."

Now, Straka, who moves to No. 27 in the world rankings, is on the brink of living another dream — playing for the European Ryder Cup team later this year in Rome, Italy.

However, he's not getting ahead of himself.

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"September is a few months away," said Straka, who is now seventh on the World Points List in the Ryder Cup rankings, "and I'm glad my game is in good shape. Hopefully, I can make a push for (the Ryder Cup)."

And an abundance of Americans did just that at TPC Deere Run, despite falling short of Straka for the victory.

The final pairing of Todd and Alex Smalley had most of the back nine to play after Straka finished, however, neither would catch Straka at 21 under and they both finished T-2 at 19 under. Smalley moved up 12 spots in U.S. Ryder Cup standings to 41st and Todd went from 42nd to 32nd.

Adam Schenk posted his second top-10 in as many weeks — and his fifth of the season — to move from 24th to 22nd on the Ryder Cup points list.

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Also, the John Deere Classic's defending champion J.T. Poston jumped from 54th to 49th after tying for sixth with Mark Hubbard, who went from 47th to 44th with his fourth top-10 of the season.

But as Straka said, there's still time for a player to improve their case for making either Ryder Cup squad, with a little over two months before the teams are finalized.

U.S. Team Captain Zach Johnson first announced the 2023 qualifying structure last year. Points in 2023 are awarded as follows:

- 1 point per $1,000 earned at regular PGA Tour events beginning January 1, including the Zurich Classic and WGC events, through the BMW Championship (August 20)

- 2 points per $1,000 earned for winner of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- 1.5 points per $1,000 earned for all others that make the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- No points available at PGA Tour opposite-field events

Points qualification will conclude immediately after the second FedEx Cup Play-Off event (BMW Championship) on August 20, 2023, with the top six eligible players on the points list securing spots on the U.S. Team.

The six remaining slots on the U.S. Team will be Captain’s Selections and will be announced by Johnson following the 2023 Tour Championship.

For a full list of the Top 100 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, click here.