Sepp Straka: 2021 FedEx Cup Contender or Pretender?
By Tim Letcher
Sepp Straka is a rising talent on the PGA Tour. In just his third year on tour, can he take the next step forward and compete for the FedEx Cup?
With the 2020 portion of the PGA Tour schedule in the books, we at Pro Golf Now will be taking a look at the current top 50, and some selected others, in the current FedEx Cup standings and whether they are contenders or pretenders for the 2021 FedEx Cup. Our latest subject is the current No. 48, Sepp Straka.
Best career FedEx Cup finish: Straka is in just his third season on the PGA Tour this year. He finished 115th in the FedEx Cup standings as a rookie in 2019 and followed that with a 79th-place showing last year. He recorded three top 10 finishes last year and earned $1,140,441 during the 2020 campaign.
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So far this season: Straka has played in eight events so far this season and has made seven cuts. However, he hasn’t really taken advantage of his opportunities.
Straka started the season with one of his best showings so far this year. He tied for 14th at the Safeway Open that week.
He followed that with a tie for 33rd at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. But the next week, he missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Since then, Straka has not missed a cut in his last five starts.
It started in Las Vegas when Straka tied for 43rd at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open after opening with a 65 on Thursday and a 66 on Friday. However, his 70-71 weekend left him out of the hunt.
Three weeks later, at the Bermuda Championship, it was the opposite kind of week for Straka. He started with a 70-70 Thursday and Friday. He finished with a 69-68 weekend and landed in a tie for 21st place.
The following week, Straka had his best finish of his 2020-21 season to date. He was consistent all week, shooting 68-69-66-69 to finish 8-under par. That left him in a tie for fifth place.
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Since that time, Straka has finished in a tie for 44th place in the RSM Classic and in a tie for 52nd at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. He will enter 2021 with five straight made cuts.
The verdict: Straka is just 26 years old and has a very bright future ahead of him. The time for him to win the FedEx Cup may or may not come at some point. It certainly will not be this season. Consider him a pretender for the 2021 FedEx Cup.