“I was thinking about maybe getting a translator" - Sepp Straka embraces European loyalty as he jokes about accent in Ryder Cup debut

Sepp Straka is one of countless professional athletes who has placed his sporting allegiance in a country other than the one in which he has lived most of his life. He has a shared life history between America and Austria, but he has always been clear about his nationality when it comes to golf.

Born in Vienna, Austria, Sepp Straka has lived in the United States since he was 14 years old. There, he finished his development as a golfer and started his professional career. However, he considers himself an Austrian and European player, and that is the way he has conducted himself, even before he turned professional.

In an interview for Golf Monthly, Sepp Straka made his feelings of sporting loyalty clear. This, despite his distinctly American accent, has been noted and widely discussed on social media

This is how Sepp Straka put it:

“I've never played for America in golf. I've always played under the Austrian flag since my first start at the Lyoness Open back in Austria, my first professional start. I played all my junior golf for Austria on the European Boys teams and the European Amateur team. I always assumed it would be for Europe and I've always played for the Austrian flag and proudly representing it.”

About his accent, Sepp Straka joked that he has thought about getting a translator because it is unlikely that he will be able to hide his Southern American way of speaking.

He said:

“I was thinking about maybe getting a translator. Maybe my brother can translate for me for the week just so we don't have to hear it. But I don't think I can fake the American accent. I've got a few accents in me but yeah, it will be funny to kind of hear that accent all week.”

Sepp Straka: Austrian or American golfer?

Sepp Straka, 30, has lived more than half his life in the United States but was born in the Austrian capital, the son of a local man and an American woman. Both he and his twin brother, Sam, completed their training as junior and amateur players in America.

Considering his move from Austria to Georgia as a teenager, and that he attended both high school and college in the "Peach State", it is not surprising that Straka picked up a southern accent. He even might have developed feelings of hometown pride for his country of residence.

However, from his early days in national team golf tournaments, Straka always represented Austria, and he never strayed from that line. At the age of just 18, he played under the Austrian flag at the 2011 European Boys' Team Championship.

Since then, only the Austrian flag has been placed next to his name when it comes to golf. He made his professional debut as an Austrian and represented Austria in the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 (2021). For this reason, there is zero doubt as to which side he will defend in the next Ryder Cup.