Change is not something that Sepp Straka is eager for. His swing is much the same as it was before he became a professional. He travels with the same folks and follows his pre-round ritual.
Although Straka began using new irons and a new ball at the start of the season, he quickly distinguishes that from real change. The only reason he changed was that both were nearly the same as what he had been using.
He claims that his shaven head is the most obvious sign of change in his life lately.
“I don’t tinker” Straka said.
Therefore, it would make sense that he would also be impervious to change in his surroundings. At The American Express, the season’s only tournament spread over three different courses, that works nicely. Despite favourable weather, he performed particularly well this year at PGA WEST’s recently renovated Pete Dye Stadium Course, which had more variety and a considerably harder test.
Straka didn’t care; he easily won The American Express, defeating Justin Thomas by two shots with a final round score of 70.
Straka had won 3 times on the PGA TOUR.
“Naturally, it was extremely daunting because you had a chance to make a double or bogie on every hole you knew about.” he said.
Although they did not appear on Straka’s scorecard, those results did occur. He shot 10-under for the week at the Stadium Course, including a 64 in the 2nd round that he described as “one of my best rounds I’ve ever played.” It wasn’t really significant that Straka made another bogey on the 18th hole on Sunday; his first of the week didn’t occur until his 70th hole. He had a safe lead.
The difference-maker, however, was Straka’s 10-under at the Stadium Course. Expanded greens and firm conditions brought a fresh twist to the proceedings, as the Pete Dye design played more than two shots harder than the previous two iterations of the competition.
Dye wanted to “build the damn hardest golf course in the world” when he created the Stadium Course. After just 1 year, the course was dropped off the PGA TOUR schedule due to the pros’ struggles and complaints, so it really lived up to its hype. When the Stadium Course reopened in 2016, it was not at all what Dye had intended. A combination of circumstances, including greater technology, distance increases, and course conditioning, made it lost its difficulty.
It was not practical to return it to that degree of difficulty given the realities of contemporary pro golf. Simply enough, the course was too short, and there was no desire to enrage the TOUR pros once more. However, there was an incentive to somewhat toughen one of Dye’s best-known diamonds and restore it to its 1987 appearance.
The mission has been completed. The score average for the week, 71.3, was the second-highest since The American Express returned to the Stadium Course over ten years ago, despite a decline in scoring on Sunday under perfect conditions.
Ben Hobbs, the resort’s executive director, was given a clear directive when the new ownership came over PGA WEST in 2020: “Return it to the way Pete Dye designed it.”
As one of Dye’s right-hand men for 28 years, Tim Liddy was well aware of what Dye would want done to the Stadium Course because he had already assisted in the restoration of two of Dye’s other designs at PGA WEST, the Mountain and Dunes courses. He was a simple pick. The majority of Liddy’s work was on and around the greens, which had significantly sunk and softened since 1987, with the exception of fairway bunkers that were installed on 5 holes.
The demolition crews discovered ancient steel rings that marked the original location of the greens when they were excavating them. Liddy was able to rapidly piece together Dye’s original green patterns using images from 1987 and 1989. Each green’s pinnable area, which had been reduced by years of mowing, was significantly expanded by that effort.
10 of the final round pin positions on Sunday, according to Hobbs, were in locations that weren’t even on the 2024 edition of the greens or that would not have been feasible prior to restoration.
“There are numerous holes that we have never seen before.” Hobbs said.
Each hole gained additional teeth as a result of each green becoming enlarged. Previously unimportant water hazards and bunkers became threats once more as new pin placements were positioned dangerously near them. The green on holes like the fifth, sixth, seventh, thirteenth, and seventeenth now stretches nearly to the water. The players found it challenging to navigate the new undulations created by the additional space.
“There are small, previously unnoticed slopes that make it difficult for me to see and read.” said Charley Hoffman, who finished in a tie for 5th.
Regaining hardness in the greens was the other priority, and it had the biggest direct impact on greater scores in 2025. When replacing grass, which is always at its firmest at the start of its life cycle, some of that occurs organically. However, Liddy’s crew also tore off 5–6 inches of topdressing that had collected during more than 40 years of upkeep.
“It’s similar to covering a green with 5 inches of snow.” Liddy said.
Additionally, he levelled off a lot of the bunkers, which made it more difficult to make excellent recovery shots.
“You cannot get away with having short sides or possibly taking some chances when the greens are hard. The major difference for us is that we have a harder time making bogeys when we are given soft greens.” said Thomas, who finished runner-up.
William Mouw’s mishap on the par-5 16th hole on Friday was the best illustration. Mouw’s inability to hold a pair of chips on the hard green caused his ball to funnel back down into the 18-foot-deep greenside bunker, contributing to his octuple-bogey. Mouw made a 13 after multiple failed hacks from the sand.
“The largest change, in my opinion, is 16. It goes without saying that we have witnessed some tragedies there.” Hoffman said.
Straka took care not to suffer the same fate. He wanted to remove a disastrous number from play, which is why he made his first bogey at the par-5 16th. With his second shot, he bailed out right away, leading by four shots at the moment. To avoid hitting his 50-yard pitch too long and into the greenside bunker, he left it well short of the hole. Then, aware of the disaster that awaited one of Dye’s most cunning designs, he chipped on and two-putted for bogey.
“That would make Pete Dye very happy. He would probably be pleased with the work we accomplished.” Liddy said.
Work was so excellent that the winner gave it the highest regard.
