The interesting case of Sepp Straka who could have represented either Ryder Cup teams but eventually chose Europe

Sepp Straka is going to play for the European side in the Ryder Cup. He is the rare golfer who could have played on either side. He speaks with a strong Southern accent, has a US passport and has fully acclimated to US culture, but he's not from here. That might surprise people who tune in and listen to him talk for the first time, but it's true.

Straka's nationality is Austrian, which qualifies him for the European side. His citizenship and passport for America meant he could have been on the American side with Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka and others.

As per Golf.com, Straka once discussed how he feels about his nationality:

“I have a good friend in Austria, Clemens. I used to always say that I was 50-50 — 50 percent Austrian, 50 percent American. He was, like, ‘No, you’re 100 percent Austrian and 100 percent American,’ which is very accurate. I feel a connection to both countries, and it’s definitely split.”

Since his mother is American, Straka has a US passport and citizenship, which makes him eligible for the US team. However, if he had wanted to be a part of Zach Johnson’s squad, the golfer would have needed to start the process long before this year.

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Sepp Straka could eventually make it to the American Ryder Cup team

Straka's default was the European side, and that doesn't seem to be too upsetting for him. In the future, he's one of the few golfers who could transition to the other side, but he hasn't indicated whether he'll do that.

Sepp Straka could be on either side of the Ryder Cup

In fact, he's never been a golfer for America, at least not yet:

“I’ve never played for America in golf. I’ve always played under the Austrian bag 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, so, yeah, I kind of always assumed it would be for Europe, and I’ve always played for the Austrian flag and proudly representing it.”

He's proud of Austria and sees no reason to stop representing it, so it's unlikely that he'd defect to the US side for the Ryder Cup. Straka played well enough to make it as a captain's selection for Luke Donald, who selected this team:

• Rory McIlroy (qualifier)
• Jon Rahm (qualifier)
• Matt Fitzpatrick (qualifier)
• Viktor Hovland (qualifier)
• Tyrrell Hatton (qualifier)
• Robert MacIntyre (qualifier)
• Tommy Fleetwood (selection)
• Sepp Straka (selection)
• Justin Rose (selection)
• Shane Lowry (selection)
• Nicolai Hojaard (selection)
• Ludvig Aberg (selection)

It's possible that Zach Johnson could be coaching Sepp Straka alongside his American team in a few years when the Ryder Cup comes around again.

The Ryder Cup will take place for three days from September 29. On that day, Straka and his European cohorts will take on the Americans in Italy.