Sepp Straka didn’t melt in the Atlanta heat.
Let’s hope the Austrian chocolates he received as a post-round gift don’t melt either.
The former University of Georgia golfer, by way of Vienna, shot a 4-under-par 66 in the opening round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Thursday. He entered the staggered scoring tournament at even par as the No. 29 golfer in the FedEx Cup points standings. The round moved him to a tie for 17th, six strokes off the lead now held by Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley and Viktor Hovland at 10 under.
Straka’s round included two eagles. His four birdies, including three consecutive to end his round, were offset by four bogeys. He is in a much better position after ending birdie-birdie-birdie.
“The first few holes, my driver was a little off,” Straka, one of three Bulldogs in the field, said. “I missed a few fairways, and it’s hard to play this course when you are missing fairways. But then, I started hitting it consistently and was able to take advantage of some good iron shots.
Straka eagled the par-5 sixth hole, making a putt of just under 12 feet. An eagle at the par-4 14th hole was much more dramatic. Straka hit a 340-foot drive and then holed out from 179 yards.
“The first eagle was more standard. I hit the green in two and made the putt. On 14, it was kind of a tough (approach) shot, ball above my feet and I already draw it. So I missed that target a few yards to the right, but once it landed, I knew it had a pretty good chance of going in.”
Straka stood at 1 under par for the day when he reached the 16th hole. He closed by making three lengthy birdie putts as the round went from good to great. His birdie putt on No. 16 was 16 feet, 7 inches. His birdie putt on No. 17 was 18 feet, 5 inches. His birdie putt on No. 18 was 10 feet, 6 inches. That’s a total of 45 feet, 6 inches.
“I felt like I was burning edges all day, and those last three really came together,” Straka said.
In addition to playing for the hefty payday at the Tour Championship, Straka has a chance to make the European Ryder Cup team. He is in a strong position to be selected with a pick from captain Luke Donald for the international competition in Rome next month. Straka, who represented Austria in the 2020 Olympics, would be only the second golfer from Austria to make a European Ryder Cup team.
“It’s been a motivator for a while now,” Straka said. “The goal is still the same. You just have to keep trying to play good golf, just show that you are in good form.”
The chocolates were gift from an Austrian journalist who interviewed Straka following his round, a heaping bowl of individually wrapped confection. Whether they held up as well as Straka remains to be seen.
As for the other Bulldogs:
*Russell Henley shot a 5-under 65. He now stands at 8 under and is tied for fifth after beginning the tournament No. 12 and 3 under.
*Brian Harman shot a 2-under 68. He now stands at 6 under and is tied for 10th after beginning the tournament at No. 8 at 4 under.
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