Sepp Straka’s normal caddie, Duane Bock, was not on the bag for his victory last week at the Truist Championship, the veteran looper tending to a back issue that flared up before the tournament started. However, Bock was still on hand at Philly Cricket to support his boss man, and he still managed to bestow on him a birthday gift that is every golfer’s dream.
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Straka turned 32 on May 1, so Bock, AKA “Dewey,” was a little bit late on the gift. But this may have been the ultimate better late than never situation.
As Straka informed Skratch’s Dan Rapaport on the “Dan on Golf” show Monday, he was not going straight from Philadelphia to Charlotte right after picking up his Signature Event victory. The former Georgia Bulldog was sticking around the Philly area one more day to tee it up at none other than Golf Digest’s No. 1-ranked course since 1985: Pine Valley.
“Dewey gave me … my birthday present is playing Pine Valley tomorrow,” Straka said. “So I’ll be staying around and playing Pine Valley tomorrow and then flying out tomorrow afternoon.”
Win a signature event ➡️ Pine Valley ➡️ PGA Championship
What a stretch for @seppstraka.
Tune into Dan on Golf LIVE today at 1pm ET. pic.twitter.com/xRnia1H0Pt
— Dan on Golf (@DanOnGolfShow) May 12, 2025
You talk about a life STRETCH. Birthday, Siggy win, Pine Valley, PGA Championship. Good golly. Have a May, Sepp.
“That’s going to be a pretty special stretch. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to beat that in my golf career.”
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Probably not, especially if he goes on to win at Quail Hollow. If that happens, we have confirmation that playing Pine Valley is the best major championship prep a golfer could ask for. Quail Hollow might wind up being easy in comparison.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com