Straka outduels Lowry to win Truist Championship at Philly Cricket for 2nd victory of the season

FLOURTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Sepp Straka knew early on that precision at Philadelphia Cricket Club was the key to the Truist Championship.

Now, the Austrian and the oldest country club in the United States are linked forever.

Straka seized the lead with a par on the 16th hole and shot a 2-under 68, outdueling Shane Lowry on Sunday for his second victory of the season.

“It’s huge, the biggest win of my career,” Straka said of his fourth PGA Tour title.

After Lowry missed the green with his tee shot at the 212-yard, par-3 16th, Straka hit to approximately 30 feet. Lowry chipped out of the heavy rough but failed to convert a 6-foot par putt, falling a shot behind.

Lowry missed a potential tying 22-footer for birdie at the par-4 17th and after driving into trouble at the stout 514-yard, par-4 closing hole, he finished with a three-putt bogey.

A back-nine duel had an anticlimactic ending. Straka made a no-pressure, two-putt par at 18 and joined Rory McIlroy (three victories) as a multiple winner this season. The Austrian who played college golf at Georgia also won The American Express in January.

“It’s not the best ball-striking week I’ve had,” Straka said. “Off the tee the first two days, I hit it terrible.”

The difference, he said, was putting. He made more than 110 feet of putts in the final round.

“The putter was just excellent this week. ... Made a lot of mid-range putts, and that’s something you have to do when you want to win a golf tournament.”

Straka moved to No. 2 in the FedEx standings, gets $3.6 million of the $20 million purse in the PGA Tour’s sixth signature event of the season and takes home the winner’s cricket bat trophy, a nod to the group of students and cricketeers from Penn who founded Philly Cricket in 1854.

He's poised to move into the top 10 in the world ranking and all but certain to make his second European Ryder Cup team.

Straka credited his consistency and work ethic for rise in the rankings.

The Truist was another miss for Lowry, whose last PGA Tour victory was the 2019 British Open. He won the European tour's BMW PGA Championship in 2022.

Lowry’s even-par 70 left him in a tie for second with Justin Thomas (67), who made a late run at the leaders.

Lowry, who has advocated for a cooling-off period for players before fielding questions from the media after a round, declined to comment.

Patrick Cantlay, Jacob Bridgeman and Tommy Fleetwood each shot 65 and finished tied for fourth at 12 under.

McIlroy, the defending champion and four-time event winner at Quail Hollow, its usual venue, never really got going and closed with a 2-under 68. Playing in his first individual tournament since completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters, McIlroy shot 68 and was in a group in seventh place at 10 under.

McIlroy now heads to Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, for next week's PGA Championship, the year's second major.

“I think I’m in a good place,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I played all that well this week, I still finished seventh. A couple little improvements and little tweaks, especially going to a place I love like Quail Hollow, and I feel like I’m in a really good spot.”

Prime scoring conditions returned to Philly Cricket’s Wissahickon Course for the first time since the opening round. After a rainy and chilly second round and a blustery third, Thomas, who was trying to win consecutive starts after taking the RBC Heritage last month, was the only real pursuer in the sixth signature event of the PGA Tour season.

Ultimately, it came down to the third-round leaders.

Straka built a two-stroke lead after the first nine holes. Lowry broke their tie with a 12-foot birdie putt at the first to get to 15 under.

Both took advantage at the par-5 fifth. Lowry made birdie to get to 16 under and Straka trumped his playing partner with a 20-foot eagle putt to forge another tie.

After Lowry settled for a par at the eighth, Straka drained a 15-foot birdie putt to go one stroke up and followed with a 28-footer at No. 9 to reach 17 under.

Straka’s lead was gone after two holes on the back nine after consecutive bogeys.

After neither capitalized on the 95-yard 14th, the shortest par 3 on tour — excluding majors — in the Shotlink era dating to 1983, Lowry nearly chipped in for eagle at the par-5 15th and settled for birdie. Straka matched that with a birdie from 6 feet and moved in front to stay at the next hole.

Thomas nearly caught the leaders twice. He missed potential tying birdie putts from 14 feet on the 12th and from 3 feet on the 15th.

“It was a good day,” said Thomas, who returns next week to the site of his first of two PGA Championship wins. “Obviously, I gave myself a chance. Starting three back to have a putt on 15 to tie for the lead, I definitely would have taken that at the start of the day.

“I fought hard, played well, and gave myself a chance, which is what I wanted.”

Sahith Theegala withdrew before the start of the final round, citing a neck injury.

The pros spoke fondly Wissahickon course in the tour’s return to golf-starved Philadelphia. The century-old course boasted large crowds throughout the week, resulting in the event’s fan shop selling out of merchandise on Saturday and being shuttered for the final round.

“You always hear about Philly sports fans, and it really is true,” Straka said. “I rooted for the Eagles a little bit last year because my Bulldogs had a lot of guys on defense there. Every time I heard a ‘Go Birds,’ it was kind of fun to hear that.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Justin Thomas walks on the sixth hole during the final round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Flourtown. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Shane Lowry, of Ireland, prepares to putt on the sixth hole during the final round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Flourtown. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Sepp Straka, of Austria, watches his shot on the first hole during the final round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Flourtown. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Sepp Straka, of Austria, poses with the trophy after winning the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Flourtown. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Sepp Straka, of Austria, poses with the trophy after winning the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Flourtown. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)