Sepp Straka returned to the Austrian Alpine Open this week for his first appearance since 2018.

The DP World Tour shared a video on X on May 27 featuring Sepp Straka ahead of the Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel Tirol at Golfclub Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith.

"Growing up, I always went to the Austrian Open," Straka said. "It was at my home course at Fontana back in the day. I always went with my brother and our friends. We couldn't wait for the week to get there and go out and watch the stars play golf."

The 33-year-old reflected emotionally on his childhood when asked what winning his national open would mean to him.

Straka emphasized the importance of a potential victory. "Being able just to play in it is incredible. Winning it would be really special."

Straka is not just playing for emotional reasons. The highest-ranked player in the field, he became the first Austrian golfer to win on the PGA Tour with victory at the 2022 Honda Classic.

After winning the John Deere Classic in 2023, Straka added two more PGA Tour titles in 2025 at The American Express and the Truist Championship, while also helping Europe win Ryder Cups in Rome and New York.

His best result at this event was a tie for seventh in 2017, which came in just his fifth DP World Tour start.

Should he win, Straka would become just the third Austrian champion at his national open, joining record three-time winner Markus Brier and Bernd Wiesberger.

Sepp Straka's Course Read Signals He Came to Compete, Not Just Participate

Straka was direct about what Golfclub Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith will demand.

"It's really tight off the tee, so you're going to have to hit it pretty straight," he said. "The rough is pretty thick this year. The greens are tiny. So I think off the tee is going to be pretty important this week."

He also arrives in form. Straka has three top-10 finishes already this season: tied second at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, tied eighth at The Players, and tied fourth at the Cadillac Championship.

Fellow Austrian Bernd Wiesberger is also in the field. Wiesberger won the Volvo China Open earlier this season by three shots and has recorded multiple top-15 finishes on tour this year.

"It's awesome to be back," Straka said. "Any time I can get back, it's amazing. And then being able to play a tournament here is really special."

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav