Sepp Straka will keep his DP World Tour membership thanks to a rule amendment following the recent premature birth of his son.
Straka, a two-time European Ryder Cupper, pulled out of this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and next week’s DP World Tour Championship after he said his newborn son would soon be coming home after spending the first two months of his life in intensive care. The withdrawals meant, though, that Straka would fall two tournaments short of the four required to hold onto the playing privileges.
But DP World Tour commissioner Guy Kinnings said he would amend what is called the Counting Tournament obligation for Straka. In a release, the tour said it do so “in recognition of his serious personal circumstances since August, which have understandably impacted 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 withdrew from the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, and he was the only European Ryder Cupper not to play in the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship. A week before the latter event, European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald had revealed that Straka’s son had been born prematurely.
Straka returned for the Ryder Cup, though, 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 that we’ve got a great team looking after our son,” he said. “We’re blessed, very lucky. He came a little early, but it’s been great. Obviously wasn’t able to travel to Wentworth like I wanted or I was planning to before.
“But yeah, I mean, my wife’s been incredible. The doctors have been incredible. It’s allowed me to kind of dedicate a lot of time to try to prepare 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 gave this statement:
“Paige and I are pleased to share that we are preparing for our son, Thomas, to return home in the coming weeks after spending his initial two months of life in intensive care. We are immensely grateful to the dedicated medical teams who have cared for him and helped him grow stronger following his early arrival in August.
“Consequently, I will be withdrawing from both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship to focus on my family during this important time. I need to be in Alabama to support Paige, ensuring we give Thomas the best start possible as he transitions from NICU to home.
“Thank you for the thoughtful messages and ongoing support we have received over the past few months. I would like to extend my best wishes to all participants in the upcoming DP World Tour Play-Off events and look forward to being back out there soon.”