Sepp Straka will keep his DP World Tour membership thanks to a rule change following the premature birth of his son.
Magpiea two-time European Ryder Cupper, pulled out of this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and next week’s DP World Tour Championship after saying his newborn son would soon return home after spending the first two months of his life in intensive care. The withdrawals meant, however, that Straka would fall two tournaments short of the four needed to retain playing privileges.
But the PD World Tour commissioner Guy Kinnings said he will change what is called the Counting Tournament obligation for Straka. In a releasethe tournament said it does so “in recognition of his serious personal circumstances since August, which have understandably affected his ability to travel and compete globally” and that it wanted to offer its “full support and best wishes to Sepp and his family”.
In August, Straka retired from the PGA Tour BMW Championshipand he was the only European Ryder Cupper not to play in the BMW PGA Championship of the DP World Tour. A week before the last event, the captain of the European Ryder Cup Luke Donald had shown that Straka’s son was born prematurely.
Straka turned for him Ryder Cuphowever, and he said there that his preparation for the event had been great in light of his family’s circumstances.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have a great team looking after our son,” he said. “We’re blessed, very lucky. He came a little early but it was great. Obviously he wasn’t able to travel to Wentworth the way I wanted or planned before.
“But yeah, I mean, my wife has been incredible. The doctors have been incredible. It’s allowed me to spend a lot of time preparing for this at home and also spend a lot of time with my family. Yeah, it’s been really great.”
In the release announcing Kinnings’ decision, Straka issued this statement:
“Paige and I are delighted to share that we are preparing for our son, Thomas, to come home in the coming weeks after spending the first two months of his life in intensive care. We are incredibly grateful to the dedicated medical teams who have cared for him and helped him grow stronger since his early arrival in August.
“Consequently, I will be withdrawing from both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP Tour World Championship to focus on my family during this important time. I need to be in Alabama to support Paige, making sure we give Thomas the best possible start as he transitions from the NICU to home.”
“Thank you for the thoughtful messages and continued support we’ve received over the past few months. I’d like to extend my best wishes to everyone participating in the upcoming DP World Tour Play-Off events and look forward to getting back out there soon.”
