Sepp Straka shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday while his top competitors failed to match his sizzling pace, staking the Austrian to a four-shot lead over Charley Hoffman, Jason Day and Justin Lower after three rounds at The American Express.

Straka made a bogey on the par-5 16th hole Sunday, his first of the week in the desert, and then added a bogey on the par-4 18th. All that kept him from reaching the tournament scoring record set by Nick Dunlap last year.

The Austrian completed a virtually blemish-free week with a two-under 70 to claim his first PGA Tour title since the 2023 John Deere Classic

For the third time in his PGA Tour career, Sepp Straka hoisted a trophy at tournament's end. Converting a four-stroke lead at the 54-hole mark into a victory at the 2025 American Express, Straka fended off a crowded chasing pack headlined by Justin Thomas.

I think that was the biggest challenge today was keeping aggressive on my targets,” Straka said after his two-under 70. “Nerves, just complete nerves. Stomach in a knot, the whole nine. So, yeah, just really excited about the way I handed the pressure today.

Straka, who didn't have a bogey in the tournament until Sunday's 16th hole, won for the third time on the PGA Tour and for the first time since the 2023 John Deere Classic.

Straka’s round at La Quinta in many ways was the reverse of what might have been expected. Playing the back nine first, Straka made six birdies on the way to a 30, the kind of score generally associated with the front nine at the course that opened in 1959.