THE MODERATOR: Sepp Straka joins us now at the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Sepp, welcome to your second Ryder Cup. Let's go ahead and jump right into questions.
Q. How would you compare the nerves you experience in the Ryder Cup to nerves you experience anywhere else, and what do you do to overcome them?
SEPP STRAKA: Yeah, I would say unlike any nerves I've ever felt was that first tee shot in Rome. And yeah, you know, you can prepare all you want; you won't feel that way. But I think just experiencing the nerves and knowing you can pull off a golf shot, I think that's -- despite the nerves, I think that's very important.
Yeah, the biggest thing for me is just focus on my routine and kind of get lost in that. I think that's what I've found helps the most.
Q. Do you find it's a relief once you've got that shot out of the way, the first one?
SEPP STRAKA: Definitely. I remember I was playing with Shane in the morning session in Rome, and I duck-hooked the first tee shot in the left hay, and he came up to me and said, "Well, at least now that's over with. Now we can go play some golf."
Q. How has it been for you prepping for this week given all that's been happening with your family away from the course?
SEPP STRAKA: Yeah, it's been great. We've been very fortunate that we've got a great team looking after our son. We're blessed, very lucky. He came a little early, but it's been great. Obviously wasn't able to travel to Wentworth like I wanted or I was planning to before.
But yeah, I mean, my wife's been incredible. The doctors have been incredible. It's allowed me to kind of dedicate a lot of time to try to prepare for this at home and also spend a lot of time with my family. Yeah, it's been really great.
Q. What's the dynamic for you this week as a guy who has described himself as a hundred percent Austrian and a hundred percent American?
SEPP STRAKA: Yeah, you know, tune in to the Austrian side. Yeah, it's great. This team is incredible. It's been such an honor to be a part of in Rome and again here. We've got, basically, the same 12 guys. Nicolai got in yesterday, as well. He's here.
So it's just awesome to kind of have that family, that team around you, and incredible to be a part of it.
Q. Will the crowd go easier on you, or does it matter because you're wearing blue and gold?
SEPP STRAKA: Fortunately for me, I don't know that much of the crowd knows who I am. I think that's helpful in that.
But yeah, I think it would be a tough environment regardless. And yeah, really looking forward to the challenge.
Q. Guys talk about not knowing if they are going to make this team and how stressful it is, with everything else being perfect in their life. With everything else going on with you, was it difficult on a personal level to put in the practice, or was golf a refuge for you?
SEPP STRAKA: I would say preparation up until probably up to the playoffs was great. It was everything was normal, and then right before the playoffs happened, that's when things kind of got a little bit unsteady.
And so right around the playoff time, so leading into Memphis, BMW week, was close to zero preparation.
And obviously the last few weeks has been a lot more stable. So it's been great. I've been able to prepare very well.
But yeah, the fact of not knowing whether you're going to be on the team is nerve-wracking, obviously. I was bummed that I couldn't show off my game in Atlanta or Memphis, really. That was a bummer.
But you know, Luke has been incredible throughout the whole process. Communication has been amazing. And I've talked with him a lot over the last month or two, and yeah, I've been very fortunate to have him as a captain to lean on for advice off the golf course, not related to the Ryder Cup. It's been really great.
Q. Since Rome, is there more people in Austria that know what the Ryder Cup is?
SEPP STRAKA: I think so, yeah. I think so. It's been great to see the support, and the coverage that we've gotten in the media in Austria over the last few years has been incredible. Yeah, golf continues to grow. And yeah, hopefully we can keep growing it.
Q. Do you think that puts extra pressure on you? I mean, do you feel more responsibility in a way?
SEPP STRAKA: I don't think so. I've put a lot of pressure on myself regardless. So I think that's where most of my pressure comes from is internal. Probably too much at times.
But it's just really great to see kind of the country rally around and the Austrian golf scene grow a lot.
Q. Guys talk about how once you make one of these teams, you're that much more desperate to make sure you're on the next one and the next one. Have you found that to be true?
SEPP STRAKA: Yes, no doubt. You know, before Rome, we were all asked what the Ryder Cup means to us individually, and I'm glad I didn't really have an answer because I didn't really know.
I thought it would be something you would kind of check off your accomplishment list and be okay with it, but it definitely is not. It's an honor every time to be a part of the team. You definitely want to do it that much more the next time around.
Q. Are there any specific teammates that you get a kick out of seeing in this team environment this week?
SEPP STRAKA: Everybody. You know, getting to see Jon and Tyrrell is always great because obviously we don't get to see them as much as we used to.
Just getting to spend time off the golf course with everybody is great. You know, on a regular PGA TOUR week, we have our families. We see each other on the course and we have lunch together but we don't get to spend a lot of time together. With the practice trip and all the time we get to spend off the golf course together is really incredible.
Q. Being that this is an away Ryder Cup, maybe how has your preparation been a little bit different? I know your schedule has been different the last couple months, too, but how is the preparation being on the road compared to what it was two years ago?
SEPP STRAKA: It definitely changes, I would say, the way you prepare mentally, what you prepared for mentally in Rome. We were able to use the crowd, and we tried to use the crowd to the best of our abilities, and the crowd was incredible in Rome and very supportive. It was easy when you kind of had a rough stretch to lean on them to energize you, and that's obviously not going to be the case here.
So I think it's going to be a lot more just leaning on your teammates in those situations because that's probably most of the support you have out there. Yeah, I think that's going to be kind of the key.
Q. Since you identify as both European, or Austrian and American, I wonder how you feel about the songs that the fans sing and why the Americans can't come up with some better ones?
SEPP STRAKA: Yeah, the songs are great. The songs in Europe are incredible. It makes for a fun environment. Obviously I have not been part of one over here. But yeah, I think it's just a little bit of a difference in cultures.
I think a lot of it comes from soccer. The songs are a part of that. I'd say over here, it's a little bit less of that. So that's probably what I would go with.
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