Maximilian Steinlechner secured his best ever finish on the DP World Tour at last week’s Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel Tirol, finishing in a tie for seventh.
Rounds of 65-68-68-65 saw the Austrian post 14 under par, playing the final round on home soil alongside compatriot Sepp Straka who finished on 12 under par.
Steinlechner, who graduated as part of the HotelPlanner Tour class of ’25, has made the cut just six times in his 15 starts on Golf’s Global Tour this year, but enjoyed being back in contention last week.
"It was very special playing with Sepp on Sunday," he said. "The weather was good. Lots of big crowds and I played well too, so I mean, it's very special. I probably won't forget this tournament any time soon.
"I feel like I just tried to have fun with my caddie, Steve, and I'm sure you saw me laugh a few times on the course.
"We had a good time and then I was able to roll in a few putts, which is always fun, and I certainly enjoyed it.”
Steinlechner’s previous best finish came back in March at the Joburg Open, where he finished in a tie for 15th. This top ten sees him jump 31 places in the 2026 Race to Dubai, moving up to 102nd and just outside a spot in the top 100, that would see him keep his DP World Tour card upon the conclusion of the season.
The Austrian will be hoping a return to his homeland brings a return to form, and he said he felt the support in the final round.
"I knew people were coming because the weather's good and it's a big tournament at home, but I was never expecting that many people,” he added.
"And then being paired together with Sepp on Sunday, weather's good, and it's just awesome. I just really enjoy playing in front of the home crowd. They're very appreciative of the sport and it's just very enjoyable."
Steinlechner finished in third place in the Road to Mallorca Rankings in 2025, the highlight of his season again coming on home soil when he won the Interwetten Open.
Rounds of 64-61-66-64 secured a two-stroke victory around Schladming-Dachstein Golf Club, the host again for next week’s latest version of the event.
The Austrian managed three other runner up finishes following that win, the first coming at the D+D REAL Czech Challenge before extraordinary back-to-back play-off losses in China at the Hainan Open and Hangzhou Open.
Steinlechner will be hoping a good finish in Austria can once again ignite his season as he strives to keep full playing status on the DP World Tour, starting this week in the Netherlands at the KLM Open.
