He doesnt care how he has to swing or what he has to do to get the ball in the hole., Lee Elder breaking the color barrier at The Masters, Harold Varner III addressing racial inequity, Woodss rise had been predicted to prompt an influx of golfers. . A Cali kid, the Lakers are his team. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. The people he would most like to meet in sport include Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Theegala says he hopes to extend his coming-out party for another weekend when he tees off Thursday in in the opening round of the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club, the historic Pacific Palisades course where he won the Collegiate Showcase in 2017, earning an exemption into the tournament that year. . Theegala was born in Fullerton, Calif., eight months after Woods won his first professional major championship at the 1997 Masters, and moved to Chino Hills outside of Los Angeles when he was about 2 years old. As an undergraduate student interested in pursuing a masters in industrial engineering, Muralidhar worked on research with a professor who recommended he attend Kansas State for graduate school. For Hunter, it was when he came to him as a 6-year-old for his first lesson. How much so? Pepperdine Coach Michael Beard was summoned from the clubhouse to see what his young star was doing, and was shocked to see Theegala get to the first tee, take out a handful of irons and swing left-handed. Hes very comfortable with who he is.. Hes competitive, but hes clapping on the first tee for his playing partners. Working with golf gear and equipment over the last five years, Sam has quickly built outstanding knowledge and expertise on golf products ranging from drivers, to balls, to shoes. He dropped for a penalty stroke, chipped to within 14 feet but missed that putt for par, settling for a bogey. In addition to competing for his high school team, Theegala also competed on the invitation-only Toyota Tour Cup, a highly prestigious tour in which junior golfers can hone their skills and compete against the top players in the region. Before a round, his father has one piece of advice for Sahith: I dont ever say Good luck, or Play well, Murli said. 12. School was always at the top of the list, and that translated into me being disciplined on the golf course, and really in all of my life.. I dont know what excited him, but he was so excited, Murli recalled. Hell definitely just hit, like, shots with a ton of curve in his warm-up, Smith said. Theegala and Watkins found that bond early in high school, too, over their shared love of not only the Lakers but Theegalas favorite Laker Kobe Bryant. Theegala made par on 18 and settled for third place and a check for $434,600, which doubled his career earnings and gave him a new outlook entering the Genesis Invitational. Not a single par and four birdies to finish with. They proceeded to chipping, and Theegala stabbed at those, but they all either went in or ended up right beside the cup. Never, though, had he experienced a moment like this weekend, when he quickly became a cult hero at TPC Scottsdale. Press Esc to cancel. 18. The Theegalas were not members of a private club, and Sahith was mostly playing at a public course called El Prado. Start the Golf Season off right with InsideGOLF ($100 value - just $20). Shanks zipped by competitors trying to prepare, and chunks of grass and dirt barely got out of his shadow. I found out that he crashed at the beginning of our practice round for our home tournament, and the craziest part was, where he crashed was in Calabasas, and thats where my apartment is. lead, Theegala's 64 good for 1-shot lead in Mississippi, Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. In short order, a man walked up to them and delivered a clear message about race in golf. I definitely think that Asian heritage part is a big part of why Ive reached this point.. He wouldnt hurt a fly, Cootes said. "I got off to a pretty hot start . He credits his Indian heritage and his hard-working parents with helping him find success as a rookie on the US PGA Tour. Heres how it works. Showing Editorial results for sahith theegala. The Official PGA TOUR Profile of Sahith Theegala. by Mastercard. I just grabbed those and brought them with me back to the hotel room, and I figured Ive been a big Kobe fan, regardless of how Im playing, Im going to try to honor him the last day. Sahith Theegala is starting his PGA Tour career just as the coronavirus infiltrated pro golfs caravan. Thegeela said about his parents: My parents always kept me disciplined. He knew it, I knew it and his parents knew from a very young age that he was born to be a TOUR player, Hunter said. Actually, it's likely the vast majority of people tuning in have never even heard of him. THEE-GAL-A! filled the desert course at TPC Scottsdale, where the former Diamond Bar High School and Pepperdine University star stood atop the leaderboard for most of the four-day event and seemed on the verge of his first PGA Tour win before disaster struck on the penultimate hole. Smith is still not sure if he does it to keep his body guessing, just for fun or a challenge or for a specific reason, but its a much more fun range session to watch than the robotic mix of lasers that he sees from the pros next to him. The most remarkable part of Theegalas week came in his ability to succeed under pressure. Hunter took him to the putting green, and hed flick his wrist at every putt, and they all went in. It has never been easy for racial minorities to ascend to the top ranks of professional golf, from Lee Elder breaking the color barrier at The Masters in 1975 the year Tiger Woods was born to Harold Varner III addressing racial inequity while vying for the early lead at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth last month while protests began gripping American cities after the death of George Floyd in police custody. Since his PGA Tour debut last summer, hes jumped nearly 1,400 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking and is only going to continue to rise if he plays the way hes capable of playing. 2. We got an Escalade, and this thing is so sick! Or Ill be like, Dude, nice shoes, and hes like, Yeah, they were just sitting in my locker. Ans. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. It was unbelievable to hear the galleries chanting his name and loving him it seemed like he became a fan favorite overnight, said Pepperdine golf coach Michael Beard, who flew to Phoenix for the final round. Ranking all 30 Tour Championship players, Berger out of the Open, replaced by Theegala, Theegala rallies to hold onto Phoenix Open lead, Theegala leads Koepka, Schauffele in Phoenix, Rookie Theegala's 67 good for 1-shot Miss. He had won 8 Amature PGA tournaments and became Australian Master of the Amateurs in 2020. Pepperdine was the top-ranked team in the country when the college golf season was shut down due to COVID-19. His coaching style and leade So he decided to shake them off by intentionally hitting even worse shots. Really, really proud of him.. Even if his form wasnt textbook after all, he learned the game through trial-and-error at local public courses Theegala succeeded. 4. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. the thing that impressed him most about his game was the same that kept him coming back to recruit him for Pepperdine when he was an assistant: the ability to avoid bad rounds even when he didnt have his best stuff. So, Id definitely say my father. Sahith Theegalas net worth is estimated to be $2 million. His maiden win on the PGA Tour was an unofficial one, coming at the QBE Shootout doubles event with Tom Hoge in December 2022. But when Im around my friends and other golfers, its not something that I think about.. Theegala has scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine, which has always forced him to make a different motion than his peers. I put a good roll, just missed. He then went on to play four seasons on the varsity golf team at Diamond Bar High School and was an All-Sierra League first-team selection all four years, also leading his team to a league title every year. PGA Tour pro Sahith Theegala hit one of the strangest shots of 2022 during the first round of the QBE Shootout. Chants of THEE-GAL-A! The two sports we watched were golf and basketball, and Ive been a Lakers fan since I can remember. Theegala rarely, if ever, hits a straight shot, and that started when he was just 7 as Rick Hunter tells it. He has a story. But for Murli, ensuring he reached his potential was easy because Sahith always wanted it for himself and always loved playing from an early age. Other notable alums from the school include Major League Baseballs Jim Edmonds, soccers Alex Morgan and the NBAs Keith Van Horn. I went back to my apartment, I had a few jerseys and a pair of Kobes that Ive had for a while. Im like, Oh my god, are you kidding me? And his caddies cracking up. 14. An unlucky bounce sent his tee shot into the water and the resulting bogey cost him a spot in Sundays playoff. He hasnt changed. To put it in basketball parlance, he just kept shooting. I did Chess Masters in elementary school. For his dad, Murli, it came when his boy won the Junior Worlds at age 6 playing cross-handed a tidbit he hadnt even noticed previously until a spectator mentioned it to him. Who are Sahith Theegalas Parents? This shot from the exciting prospect happened at the 18th hole at Tiburn Golf. Type above and press Enter to search. Theegala posted nine victories on the tour, and also won the 2014 Los Angeles City Championship, certainly no small feat. Inside the ropes, if Theegala is chatting away with his caddie, its likely not about golf but instead his beloved Los Angeles Lakers. Hes just the nicest guy. Meet Phoenix Open leader with one hell of a Kobe story. Before Theegala made his professional debut in a small Outlaw Tour event in early June, he drove with Roy Cootes, his friend from junior golf and roommate for four years at Pepperdine, to Arizona where they stayed in an $80-per-night motel room. Theegala went to Pepperdine University in California where he studied Sports Administration. Of the 156 golfers competing in the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, 23-year-old Sahith Theegala obviously isn't the biggest name in the field. J. Vegas Full Leaderboard ESPN Sahith Theegala United States Birthdate 12/4/1997 (25) Birthplace Orange, California College. Murli Theegala, Sahith's father, seems like the nicest, most positive and supportive dad, with a lovely onscreen energy. He holds American nationality. Sahith Theegala hardly remembered the details, but his father did. Everyone raves about Theegalas short game and iron play, but his demeanor on the course is an equal weapon, according to those close to him. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. His sponsors include PING, FootJoy, Unisys Corporation, Linksoul and BURN180. Woodss rise had been predicted to prompt an influx of golfers from more diverse backgrounds whether they were recreational players or pros, but 23 years later Woods and Varner are the only African-American golfers ranked in the top 200. I dont know where it comes from but I think he finds inner peace in himself, Muralidhar said. Hunter points to Theegalas first TOUR start at the Genesis Invitational in 2017, when he opened with a 4-under 67 and was inside the top-10 after the opening round. So, we learned then how to fade and draw a ball. In Orange, California, Sahith Theegala was born to Indian parents; his adored mother is Karuna Theegala, and his father is Muralidhar Theegala. His father repeatedly told him, Its OK, while his mother wiped tears from his eyes. Any back-related abnormality obviously isnt a good thing for any golfer, but Theegala has found a way to make it work. Sahith Theegala is an American professional player of Indian ethnic background. He has one brother Sahan Thageela. Theegala grabbed the lead in Scottsdale with a second-round 64. Theegala was close to crying again in January when he finished off a college win at the Southwestern Invitational wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey over his collared shirt, two days after Bryants fatal helicopter crash. Since its inception in 1999, future PGA Tour stars such as Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Matthew Wolff, Max Homa, and Collin Morikawa have competed on the Toyota Tour Cup, so were talking the cream of the crop here. 19. Thats awesome that they feel like Im somebody they can root for. 2022. There, he made a birdie on the par-5 to get to 4-under on his round. He was leading the WM Phoenix Open by a shot, but hes also a hoops head. He was born in Orange, California. He just loves to be around us and have a good time, and hes super supportive. Sahith Theegala made headlines earlier this week for having one of the biggest groups of family and friends in the field following his rounds at the WM . I think its pretty cool that I could have a chance to represent my culture on a big stage.. In the big picture, that means Theegala wont get a two-year exemption to automatically retain his PGA Tour card. He put everything that he could into me. Sahith Theegala is 7 under with two holes left in his opening round in Phoenix. If we talk about Sahith Theegalas marital status then we want to tell you that he is uncovered. Who are Sahith Theegala Parents (Father, Mother), Siblings? He finished in the top 20 in each of the eight tournaments in which he played and had six top-10s, including two wins. As a result he likes to feel his way around the golf course and move it both ways, in the same manner as Bubba Watson for example. He cites Riviera, Martis Camp and Alotian Club as three of his favourite golf courses. Ryan Masajedi Wikipedia states he is a highly acclaimed volleyball coach who has significantly contributed to the sport. 7 and sank one of the most beautiful aces youll ever see. Sahith Theegala age is 23 years old. He made his debut at the 2021 Chitimacha Louisiana Open and completed his T-19 at his first Korn Ferry Tour event. He likes to curve the ball a lot. His spine still bends to the right, and Theegala still sees a chiropractor regularly, who specializes in scoliosis, for treatment. He has an insane short game. I am very proud, Muralidhar said, walking off the 18th green. 7. When Smith took over Theegalas bag last fall, the thing that impressed him most about his game was the same that kept him coming back to recruit him for Pepperdine when he was an assistant: the ability to avoid bad rounds even when he didnt have his best stuff. By Sapana Bajracharya July 21, 2022 02:35 PM; Sahith Theegala is a professional golfer from United States. So his father, Muralidhar, who was born in Hyderabad, India, took him to a practice area at a local private country club he knew of near their home in the Los Angeles suburbs. He had won 8 Amature PGA tournaments and became Australian Master of the Amateurs in 2020. Search instead in. He also played at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals and finished with the top 10, the Sanderson Farms Championship in October 2021, and got his first top-10 finish on the PGA Tour. That summer, he qualified for the U.S. Open at Erin Hills but missed the cut after rounds of 77 and 75. Theegala fills out his bag with two Ping Glide 4.0 wedges (50 and 54 degrees), a Ping Glide 2.0 lob wedge (58 degrees), and a Ping Anser 2 putter. 14 . He hits his ball into a bush near the green with water on the other side of the green in an impossible spot, and he hits it to like 4 feet out of a bush, said Cootes, who caddied for Theegala at the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills when they were both sophomores. Sahith Theegala preapres for the 2023 The Genesis Invitational at Riviera CC with +6600 odds to win after he made the cut in his last event here, the 2022 The Genesis Invitational, and placed. And he didnt.. He was playing online chess. 1,264 Sahith Theegala Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 1,264 sahith theegala stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. We all did.. PGA Tour rookie Carson Young, seeking his first win, posted a 5-under 67 on Friday and built a 4-shot lead going into the weekend at the Puerto Rico Open. He fell in love with it immediately. The story will go as far as Theegala's swing one shaped by a crooked spine and the Santa Ana winds takes it. His Indian heritage comes from his parents. To me, that kind of sums him up. If youre not trying to win, what are you doing?, Golfers Pro Journey Starts With a Burst Bubble, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/sports/golf/sahith-theegala-pga-tour.html. Hunter and Theegala have realized that he offsets the side bend best with the driver when he swings with a slower tempo, which the two have been working regularly on. Well before he was a three-time all-American golfer at Pepperdine and long before he made his . In addition, Theegala holds an American nationality. In the same interview with the PGA Tour he said: "Its definitely my father. Theegala won the Junior World Golf Championships three times (at the ages of six, eight, and 10), and won at the 2014 AJGA Junior All-Star event at Robinson Ranch. But after that, one of the freshmen that came in in 2019, his name is Derek, he was like I play chess; do you want to play? Theegala was born in Orange, California, on December 4th 1997. WM Phoenix Open: Spurred by family support, Sahith Theegala records life-changing finish. Beard says he believes Theegala, who won the Haskins Award as college golfs best player as a Pepperdine senior in 2020, will benefit from the experience. Seans net worth is $ 1 million. But this calmness thats uniquely Sahith. "Very proud of my heritage and my background," Theegala told The Times of India. So we want to tell you he is a professional Journalistalong with being a singer so his earnings are very good. 3. Theegala got into chess as a senior at Pepperdine, when he broke his wrist and couldnt play golf for six months, so his teammate Derek Hitchner encouraged him to start competing against him in chess. Stay tuned for more updates on LatestinBollywood. This kid can flat-out play. Once, he hit seven or eight before a California Interscholastic Federation Finals match, which the team proceeded to win. Sahith Theegala hits his tee shot on Friday on the 8th hole at TPC Scottsdale. But he came back strong as a fifth-year senior, setting a school record with a 69.04 scoring average. Sahith Theegalas Instagram handle is @srtheegala. It wasnt uncommon for him to drive it through the fairway intentionally on the first hole, so his second shot could be around a tree just because thats him and thats what he practiced, and he had that shot in his bag, Watkins said with a laugh. That the fans mispronounced Theegalas name didnt particularly matter. ", 9. Hes got three steps of green to work with over a bunker off a downslope off of rocks and sand, and he just opens up a lob wedge and swings away and hits it to 2 feet. 4. Sahith Theegala World number 31 Statistics 31st Current OWGR Rank 30th Best OWGR Rank 2.5229 Average Points 131.18825 Total Points 52 Divisor 58 Actual Events Played EventsForm GuideBest Performances Download Player's Ranking History Download Player's Strokes Gained Counting Events EVENT TOUR WEEK YEAR FINISH Pos. LIV Golf Has Exploited Some Weaknesses In PGA Tour - Rory McIlroy, 'How Does This Help The So Called Strategic Alliance?' And the next tee shot, I put it under the lip of the fairway bunker, and Im like, OK, I cant do much about that, right? Pepperdine University and was named three-time NCAA All-American. He has joined the private research university Pepperdine. Hunter said the precocious little 7-year-old Theegala, who had just won the Junior World Golf Championships as a 6-year-old, came back frustrated after a recent tournament because there was a tree on a par-3 that he couldnt hit it over, so he needed Hunter to help him with the solution he came up with a solution hes still using today. He won Associated Press Sports Editors awards for game-story writing in 2001, feature-story writing in 2017 and breaking news in 2019. Unfortunately, Sam is not a member of any club at the moment but regularly gets out on the golf course to keep up the facade of having a handicap of five. Hes giving high-fives to the people walking by. He won the 2014 L.A. City Championship by eight strokes after shooting 18-under over four days. He currently resides in Chino Hills, California. But Theegalas game was not as sharp as hed hoped during his PGA Tour debut at the Travelers Championship last weekend, as he shot even par over two rounds and missed the cut. The incident did not thwart Theegalas development to become the top male collegiate golfer in the country, a distinction he earned this season before his No. Whilst at Pepperdine, Theegala was named as a three-time All American and won the 2020 Haskins Award and the Ben Hogan Award in the same year. In the end, the same 17th hole where he was the subject of fan adoration a day earlier proved Theegalas undoing. Its part of the reason he found golf in the first place. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, many members of the Theegala family made similar moves, establishing a base in southern California. He then hit a 6-iron onto the par-5 green and two-putted for birdie to start his collegiate career. Though he admitted to being "a little bit star-struck" when he teed off with PGA stars Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka on. USA Today Adam Hadwin and Harry Higgs matched Koepka, also the 2015 winner, at 66. His friends say theres zero chance thats changing now that hes become a PGA TOUR member, and it wont in the future if he becomes a superstar like they all think he will. Is this the most wild st ever? Carl Smith, Theegalas caddie, said, walking up to Josh Loyo, his trainer. I dont know if I should say a name, but there was a very good golfer that was a senior on the complete opposite end of the range, and Sahith was like, Im just going to shank one over to this guy to make him look back, and Im pretty sure he got his attention because it was kind of close., It was the name, Jon Rahm, yes, Cootes chuckled. That was definitely my most vivid memory of him shanking shots on the range for fun.. Afterward, Theegala was asked about the finish to his first round on Friday morning, when he had played two holes and bogeyed both. His caddie, who had never caddied for a rookie until now, has appreciated the youthful exuberance and appreciation that Theegala has found on TOUR. I was asking him about the accuracy of the show The Queens Gambit, and he knew all the moves they were doing on the show.. He did not disclose his personal information and wants to keep his personal information private. The 24-year-old from Orange, California, who now plays out of The Woodlands, Texas, qualified for the Tour Championship as a rookie last season, one of only two rookies (Cameron Young) to hold that. He can be reached by email at theo.mackie@gannett.com and on Twitter @theo_mackie. But from the makeshift stands separating holes 16 and 17, the chant wasnt about Koepka or Schauffele. Theegalas game seems suited for Riviera, which favors more of a left-to-right player off the tee and features an abundance of mammoth Eucalyptus trees, super-fast greens and no water. Kurt Kitayama took advantage of Jon Rahm's struggles on Friday, shooting a 4-under 68 to grab a two-shot lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Theegala walked off the 18th green and into the arms of his parents, Murli and Karuna, with whom he still lives. Hopefully things work out, and by the grace of God, hell do wonderful. and his signature head move on the downswing isnt completely on purpose. Sahith Theegala Biography Sahith Theegala Wiki, Muni He (Golfer) Wiki, Age, Boyfriend, Parents, Height, Lpga, Rankings, House, Net Worth, Instagram, Robert Finley Americas Got Talent Wiki, Bio, Age, Wife, Kids, Family, Net Worth, Height, Instagram, Nationality and Ethnicity, Connor Cyrus Wiki, Age, Wife, Family, Salary, Kids, Net Worth, WCAX, Height, Instagram, Miley Cyrus Grandma: Loretta Jean Palmer Finley Wiki, Age, Cause of Death, Family, Net Worth, Husband, Obituary. As an amateur golfer, Theegala won the Australian Master of the Amateurs in January 2020, the 2019 SGCA Amateur Championship, the 2017 Sahalee Players Championship, the 2017 Morse Cup with the Southern California Golf Association at the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship. Most things are low-key with Theegala. However, he bounced back nicely with a very respectable T-32 finish at the Memorial, after which he traveled about an hour south to Springfield Country Club, where he won a 3-for-1 playoff to get into the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, where he struck the very first shot of the tournament on Thursday morning.