Sepp Straka was celebrating Monday after securing his third career victory this weekend at the American Express PGA tournament in La Quinta.
The Austrian golfer secured a two-stroke victory over runner-up Justin Thomas, earning a career-high $1.58 million at the multi-course event held across PGA West’s Pete Dye Stadium Course, Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course and La Quinta Country Club
Straka came close to completing the tournament without a single bogey, but a misstep on the 16th hole of Sunday’s final round ended that streak.
“[At] 16, you just don’t want to end up in the bunker down there, so I kind of bailed out right a little bit,” he said in an interview with the Golf Channel. “I wanted to get it up closer to the green to where I could kind of putt it on. I got a little cute with it and spun it too much.”
Only three players have ever won a PGA Tour event without carding a bogey. Taylor Moore finished all four rounds at the tournament bogey-free, but finished tied for seventh place.
Defending champion Nick Dunlap finished at 13-under par, tied for 34th place.
Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, occupants of the top two spots in the world rankings, withdrew from the event for medical reasons.
Teen phenom Blades Brown, a U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior medalist, made his professional debut in the desert at age 17. Brown shot eight-under 64 during Friday’s second round, the best score from a golfer younger than 18 in more than four decades, but eventually missed the cut by three shots due to substandard performances on Thursday and Saturday.
“Golf is a weird, funny game, but I’m going to keep my head up,” Brown said. “This is going to sting a little bit, but I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
The PGA Tour will remain in California for another two weeks, traveling to La Jolla for the Farmers Insurance Open before the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Monterey County.
