The strength of the support you have extends the range of creativity you can explore. Great sportspeople have this extended support system that grounds them but at the same time allows them to have wings and aim as high as possible. For Josef “Sepp” Straka, it is undoubtedly his family. While it was his parents who got him into the game, his brother helped him shape and improve it. Now, his wife and son are helping him reach the highest levels of golf.

Success and family go hand in hand for Sepp Straka

The Austrian-born golfer met his wife, Paige Dean, when he was playing golf for his college, the University of Georgia, against her college, Auburn University. The two met through mutual friends, and their first meeting was filled with banter, which attracted them to each other further.

“Honestly, I think that’s [the banter] what sparked the connection—that and some encouragement from great friends. Before we knew it, we were meeting each other’s families at Christmas!” Paige recalled her first meeting with Straka. Since then, Paige has been by his side.

In 2020, the couple got engaged and subsequently married in 2021. Paige currently works as a senior acquisitions manager at Southern Veterinary Partners in Birmingham, Alabama, where the couple also resides. The duo welcomed their first child in December 2023, named Leo.

Since his marriage to Paige Dean Straka, the Austrian golfer has boosted his career, winning two PGA Tour tournaments, the Honda Classic in 2022 and the John Deere Classic in 2023. The University of Georgia alum also finished T2 at The Open Championship in 2023, his best-ever finish at a major. Sometimes, having a strong rock of support to lean on during tough times helps, and it did for Straka!

And it is not just his wife. Familial support can be traced back to the beginning stages of the golfer’s life and career.

Golfing roots go way back for 2x PGA Tour winner

Straka’s parents, Peter and Mary, met each other due to golf. Mary, an avid golf fan, had gone to Austria to be with her then-boyfriend. However, they broke up, but Mary liked the country so much that she decided to stay back. She went on to work at a pro shop in Salzburg where Peter Straka, one day, came in to buy a new golf glove. The pair met, fell in love, got married, and on 1 May 1993 gave birth to twins Josef and Sam.

The twins were initially into football before deciding to pursue golf. “My parents are both golf nuts, so I suppose it was natural that Sam and I would take up the game, even though we enjoyed playing football more when we were growing up,” Straka told Golf Monthly. By Sepp Straka’s admission, his brother was better than him at golf.

“He was a better player than me, right up until the time we were recruited to play college golf,” recalled Sepp Straka. “It was all credit to Sam that we ended up with scholarships to the University of Georgia. He was the one who got all the recruiting attention. The UGA coach was interested in Sam and realized only later that he had a brother who could play pretty well, too.” 

But the 2023 Ryder Cup winner got better eventually and is scaling the mountain that is professional golf. And his brother is still by his side. Sam Straka has caddied for his twin brother on multiple occasions, including The Open Championship in 2022.

Sepp Straka’s career has been very happening, and his family plays a huge part in it. Do you think it is mainly due to his hard work, the support of the people around him, or both that are driving his career forward in professional golf?