"I don't Pratice": Sepp Straka Opens Up About His Driver Confidence at Genesis

Feb 22, 2026, 8:30 PM CUT

The Memorial Tournament Sepp Straka of Austria acknowledges the gallery at the 18th green during the final round of The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, USA on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Dublin Ohio United States PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xJorgexLemusx originalFilename:lemus-thememor250601_np2H4.jpg

Sepp Straka is ranked 25th on the PGA Tour in driving efficiency. Yet, he barely practices with his driver at all. Straka opened up about his unusual method at the Genesis Invitational.

During a walk-and-talk segment with Johnson Wagner, shared by the PGA Tour on X from the Genesis Invitational, Straka explained that he doesn’t spend much time specifically practicing his driver.

“I don't practice my driver a whole lot, to be honest with you,” Straka said while walking the hole with Wagner.

“I do my swing drills, and there's always a driver aspect to that, that's four or five drivers a day. And then, you know, I just try to hit fairways. I'll try to keep it pretty simple,” the 2025 Truist Championship winner said.

As of early 2026, Sepp Straka’s numbers off the tee show a clear balance between distance and efficiency.

He is averaging 304.8 yards in driving distance, which places him 99th on the PGA Tour. While that figure sits around the middle of the pack, his efficiency tells a different story.

Straka holds a 0.564 mark in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, ranking 25th on Tour. With Genesis in progress, it’s worth revisiting the level Straka produced at Pebble Beach just a week earlier.

Sepp Straka at the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

At the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Sepp Straka finished tied for second at 21-under par.

He remained in contention throughout the week and moved within one shot of the lead by Sunday’s close. Collin Morikawa secured the title at 22-under, leaving Straka one stroke short of a playoff.

Straka’s push came on the final hole, where he made eagle on the 72nd to reach 21-under and tie for second with Min Woo Lee.

Speaking later about that moment during a walk-and-talk with Johnson Wagner, Straka explained how the situation simplified his mindset on the 18th tee.

“Honestly, it was made pretty simple for me because I knew I had to make eagle to have a chance at a playoff. So at that point, the ocean didn’t exist. Out-of-bounds didn’t exist. I was just trying to hit the fairway as far down there as I could and give myself a chance at eagle.”

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi