Sepp Straka, star of Team Europe, has given an update on the health of his newborn son, Thomas, who was born prematurely and remains in hospital as his father celebrated victory at the Ryder Cup. Earlier this month, Straka opted to stay with his wife, Paige, and their newborn rather than compete in the BMW PGA Championship, a warmup event for the Ryder Cup.
Despite missing the opportunity to hone his skills at the DP World Tour’s signature event, Straka made a strong start at Bethpage Black Golf Course, defeating Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun, 3 and 2, while partnering with Jon Rahm in Friday’s four-ball.
Although Straka lost in Saturday’s four-ball session and Sunday’s singles, he had plenty to celebrate as Team Europe clinched a 15-13 victory. The 32-year-old was also part of the victorious European team at the 2023 biennial event in Rome, earning him two career Ryder Cup championships.
Speaking on Sunday, Straka admitted that the past few months have been “a bit of a roller coaster” both on and off the golf course. “Yeah, it’s unbelievable. The last couple of months have been a bit of a roller coaster for my wife and I,” he said.
“Little Thomas is doing well. He’s in the hospital, but he’s doing well.”
In recent weeks, while caring for Thomas, Straka praised his European team-mates for offering support during these challenging times.
“You know, these guys, Luke [Donald – captain] and everybody, has been so unbelievable in supporting me,” he added. “Yeah, I can’t thank everybody enough for the support that you guys are showing me throughout this whole thing.
“And yeah, I just – yeah, I cannot thank everybody enough.”
Straka remained the sole Team Europe member to skip the BMW PGA Championship, though skipper Luke Donald was delighted to allow him to remain at home whilst caring for his newborn child.
“Yeah, everything is OK. I don’t think an official announcement has been made, but him and his wife welcomed their baby a few weeks ago prematurely,” Donald said.
“Everything is going extremely well with their baby. He just doesn’t want to be so far away. I think that’s only fair.”
Despite Straka being unable to display his talents at Wentworth Golf Club, Donald remained confident he would be in excellent shape when the Ryder Cup arrives.
“Had many conversations with Sepp. He’s very motivated. He’s going to be continuing to work on his game hard,” Donald said. “He’ll join us for the practice trip. But that’s the reason why he won’t be in Wentworth.”
