One week prior to the second major championship of the season, the PGA Tour made a stop at the Philadelphia Cricket Club for the Truist Championship. Formerly the Wells Fargo Championship, the event is typically played at Quail Hollow. With next week's PGA Championship being held there, the Truist moved to a new location for this year's edition. Opening in 1854, the Philly Cricket Club is America’s oldest country club. The course features more bunkers than any course on the PGA Tour, and was expected to be a stern challenge for the best players in the world.

Austrian Sepp Straka has become one of the best players in the world over the last few seasons. While Straka has picked up a few wins in the past few years, he has yet to break through in a major or signature event, and this week was as good a time as ever with Scottie Scheffler opting to skip the Truist after winning in Dallas last week.

Straka came out of the gates on fire, carding a 7-under bogey-free 63 on Thursday. Inclement weather was forecasted Friday, pushing tee times up a couple hours. Players still had to battle rain for the majority of round two, but Straka was still able to card a -3 under 67 and move to 10-under heading into the weekend. Justin Thomas and Shane Lowry were also playing well, with Lowry leading the way after rounds of 64 and 65.

Pairing his stellar approach play along with a hot putter, Straka rolled on Saturday with a 4-under 66, tying Shane Lowry’s 14-under pace with one round to play.  On Sunday it turned into a two horse race between the former Ryder Cup partners in Lowry and Straka. Thomas was a factor for a good chunk of the day, but never got within more than 1 shot of the lead. A late bogey essentially took him out of it, as the leaders carried a 2-shot cushion over the closest chasers. With Lowry and Straka tied at 16-under with just 3 holes to play, Lowry began to show signs of pressure. The Northern Irishman has only won one individual event on the PGA Tour which was all the way back in 2015, despite having numerous opportunities. A costly miss from six feet on the 16th hole resulted in a bogey for Shane, giving Straka a late advantage.

The pair would par the 17th hole before heading to the difficult par-4 18th, which measures well over 500 yards. Both players found the green in regulation, and each had reasonable looks for birdie from inside 25 feet. After Straka missed his birdie effort, Lowry faced a 20 footer to tie and force a playoff. Unfortunately he raced his birdie putt a good six feet past the hole and then followed it up by missing his par attempt. The result was a Straka win by two, with Lowry and Thomas finishing in a tie for second at 14-under par. The victory marks Straka’s fourth on the PGA Tour (all coming since 2022), and second of the 2025 season.

Winner’s Bag - Sepp Straka 

Team Cleveland/Srixon staffer Sepp Straka claimed his fourth PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Truist Championship. The victory is by far his biggest, solidifying himself amongst the elite players on tour. Straka’s bag of equipment consists of a variety of brands, starting with Callaway for his metals.

All WITB information is courtesy of GolfWRX.

Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus VeloCore+ Blue 6 X

Off the tee, Straka plays the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max (9 degrees) with a Fujikura Ventus Velocore+ Blue 6 X shaft. The setup offers Straka a low-spin clubhead with some additional launch, spin and forgiveness. Straka finished middle of the pack in Strokes Gained Off the Tee, gaining 0.522 strokes, which ranked 36th best. Sepp isn't the longest player on tour, and he finished 56th in average driving distance, but finding 34 of 56 fairways, which was the 19th best performance of the week, certainly helped setup the Austrian to attack the greens at the Philly Cricket Club.

Fairway Woods: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15 degrees, 20 degrees)

Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Red 80 TX (15 Degrees), Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Orange 80 TX (20 degrees)

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Straka carries two fairway woods, both of which are the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15-degree 3-wood and a 20-degree 7-wood). He opts for the 7-wood instead of a longer iron or hybrid due to the higher launch and steeper landing angle that makes the 7-wood a viable weapon on long approach shots. 

Irons: Srixon ZXi5 (4, 5), Srixon ZXi7 (6-9)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Straka’s elite iron play this week was thanks to a combo set of Srixon ZXi5 and ZXi7 irons. Straka plays the popular True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts throughout his set. The combination led to a ninth place finish in strokes gained: approach on the week. 

Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (46, 52, 56, 60)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Around the greens, Straka carries four wedges, all of which are Cleveland’s latest model – the RTZ wedges, which feature the new Z-Alloy material that is both softer and longer-lasting than traditional steels used for wedges. He opts for a little softer feeling shaft, going with the Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400.

Putter: Odyssey Tuttle Stroke Lab

Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour

Statistically speaking, Straka’s greatest weapon this week was the putter. He still rolls an Odyssey Tuttle Stroke Lab, providing exceptional balance and feel across the face. Straka finished second in strokes gained: putting this week and made many key putts coming down the stretch on Sunday.