Sahith Theegala Explained

Sahith Theegala
Fullname:Sahith Reddy Theegala
Birth Date:4 December 1997
Birth Place:Orange, California, U.S.
Residence:Houston, Texas
College:Pepperdine University
Yearpro:2020
Tour:PGA Tour
Prowins:2
Pgawins:1
Otherwins:1
Masters:9th: 2023
Usopen:T27: 2023
Open:T34: 2022
Pga:T12: 2024
Award1:Haskins Award
Year1:2020
Award2:Ben Hogan Award
Year2:2020
Award3:Jack Nicklaus Award
Year3:2020

Sahith Reddy Theegala (born December 4, 1997) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.

Early life

Theegala was born in 1997 in Orange, California, to Muralidhar and Karuna Theegala and has a younger brother.[1] He is of Indian descent and was raised in nearby Chino Hills, California; his family came to the United States, from Telangana, India, in the late-1980s.[2]

Amateur career

Theegala was a three-time NCAA All-American at Pepperdine University.[3] [4] In his final year at Pepperdine, Theegala won the Southwestern Invitational,[5] the Alister MacKenzie Invitational, and the Australian Master of the Amateurs.[6] His collegiate career was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the 2020 season to end early, with his Pepperdine team ranked first in the nation.[7]

In 2020, Theegala won the Haskins Award, the Ben Hogan Award, and the Jack Nicklaus Award, becoming just the fifth person ever to win all three awards in the same year.[8] [9]

Professional career

Theegala made his professional debut in June 2020 at the Outlaw Tour's Lone Tree Classic, where he tied for third place. He finished T-14 at the 2020 Safeway Open on the PGA Tour. He finished T-19 at his first Korn Ferry Tour event, the 2021 Chitimacha Louisiana Open. He finished T-9 at MGM Resorts Championship at Paiute.

Theegala also played a few PGA Tour events in 2020–21, mainly on sponsors' exemptions. He received enough points as a non-member to earn a place in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in 2021.[10] He then finished T-4 at Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship and 6th at Korn Ferry Tour Championship. With consecutive top-10 finishes in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, Theegala secured his PGA Tour card for 2021–22 season. He got his first top-10 finish on the PGA Tour at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October 2021. He finished third at the WM Phoenix Open in February 2022. He finished seventh at the Valspar Championship in March 2022. In June 2022, Theegala tied for second in the Travelers Championship.[11] At the end of the 2021–22 season, Theegala made the Tour Championship by finishing in top 30.

Theegala opened his 2022–23 season with a top-10 finish at the Fortinet Championship in September 2022. He tied for second at the RSM Classic in November 2022, two shots behind winner Adam Svensson. He continued his season with a tied-for-sixth finish at the Genesis Invitational in February 2023.

On September 17, 2023, he earned his first official PGA Tour victory at the Fortinet Championship, finishing at −21 to secure a two-shot victory.[12]

Personal life

Theegala appeared in the sports documentary series Full Swing, which premiered on Netflix on February 15, 2023.[13]

Amateur wins

Source:[14]

Professional wins (2)

Other wins (1)

Results in major championships

Tournament20172018
Masters Tournament
U.S. OpenCUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament201920202021202220232024
Masters Tournament9T45
PGA ChampionshipT40T12
U.S. OpenCUTT27T32
The Open ChampionshipNTT34CUTCUT
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" = tied
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2
PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1
Totals 0 0 0 0 1 2 11 7

Results in The Players Championship

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

"T" = Tied

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

2018 (winners)

Source:[14]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: The New York Times . Golfer's Pro Journey Starts With a Burst Bubble . July 2, 2020 . Brett . Cyrgalis.
  2. News: India heritage helps rookie Sahith Theegala find US PGA success . October 7, 2021 . The Times of India . AFP.
  3. Web site: Sahith Theegala – Men's Golf . Pepperdine University Athletics . June 10, 2020.
  4. News: Pepperdine Senior Theegala Wins Ben Hogan Award . June 10, 2020 . The New York Times . June 10, 2020.
  5. News: 'I did it for Mamba': Theegala wins Southwestern Invitational in Kobe jersey . Golf Channel . Brentley . Romine . January 28, 2020.
  6. News: Romine . Brentley . Sahith Theegala adds to accomplishments, wins Ben Hogan Award . June 10, 2020 . Golf Channel . June 9, 2020.
  7. News: Conover . Brayden . After long road to recovery, Theegala goes out on top . June 10, 2020 . AmateurGolf.com . May 15, 2020.
  8. Herrington . Ryan . Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala grabs another one of college golf's top honors, winning the Ben Hogan Award . June 10, 2020 . Golf Digest.
  9. News: Romine . Brentley . Sahith Theegala joins exclusive company after winning Jack Nicklaus Award . 8 July 2020 . Golf Channel . July 8, 2020 . en.
  10. Web site: Sahith Theegala's unique path to qualifying for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals . PGA Tour . September 24, 2021 . Nick . Parker . 17 February 2022.
  11. Web site: Golf.com . Xander Schauffele wins Travelers Championship after Sahith Theegala's heartbreaking finish . June 26, 2022 . Josh . Berhow.
  12. News: Wagaman . Michael . Sahith Theegala wins the Fortinet Championship in Napa for his first PGA Tour victory . Associated Press News . 20 September 2023 . 17 September 2023.
  13. Web site: Tee Up for 'Full Swing,' the Golf Documentary Series That Drives Plenty of Drama . 2023-02-13 . Netflix Tudum . en.
  14. Web site: Sahith Theegala . World Amateur Golf Ranking . June 11, 2020.