Theegala had won the first tournament he played in at the age of 6, the prestigious Junior Worlds in San Diego, and won it again at ages 8 and 10. The No. I knew my family and friends would be out there. In 2001, Karuna, his wife and Sahiths mother, began a battle with thyroid cancer, so her mother, Vijaya Laxmi, came to the United States to help with the children. How do LIV Golfs TV ratings really compare to the PGA Tour? I always believed that my boy is something special, Muralidhar Theegala said. The ringleader of this group is unquestionably Muralidhar Theegala, Sahiths dad. Im definitely very proud of my background and my Indian heritage, Theegala said. He was the San Gabriel Valley Tribunes Area Player of the Year as a junior after winning the Hacienda League title and reaching the CIF state tournament. In the end, the same 17th hole where he was the subject of fan adoration a day earlier proved Theegalas undoing. Theegala rarely, if ever, hits a straight shot, and that started when he was just 7 as Rick Hunter tells it. Sahith Theegala Parents, Ethnicity, Wiki, Bio, Age, Girlfriend, Career, Net Worth & More. And the fact he got a sponsors invitation you hadnt heard of him, and now hes playing with the top 20 players in the world, Ryder Cuppers.. Seemingly everyone who has played with him or seen him play has a story, and the plot follows the same script: Theegala escapes from a near-impossible situation. Though he admitted to being "a little bit star-struck" when he teed off with PGA stars Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka on. Odom competed in the Collegiate Showcase at The Riviera Country Club on Monday, February 13 with the opportunity to earn the final . Born in Orange, California, Sahith is the son of Karuna and Muralidhar Theegala. He completed T-14 at the 2020 Safeway Open on the PGA Tour. Brett Quigley fired a 7-under-par 65 and leads the Champions Tour's Cologuard Classic by 1 shot over John Huston, Kirk Triplett and Brian Cooper. 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. 1-ranked Pepperdine team had their national championship hopes dashed in March by the coronavirus outbreak. Going for the green, Theegala left it in the desert instead. 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. And when Sahith got old enough to understand what was going on, he would cry when the Lakers lost. 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? SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Sahith Theegala stood beside the 17th tee box at TPC Scottsdale late Saturday afternoon. His dream fourball would be Tiger Woods, his coach Michael Beard from Pepperdine, and his Dad, who doesn't know how to play golf but taught the game to Sahith. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. With Sahith atop the leaderboard, the night was filled by him taking pictures with eager fans, including one who picked up the tab on the familys meal. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. It literally couldnt have worked out better. 5. 7 and sank one of the most beautiful aces youll ever see. I just hit my second shot on 18, and right after I hit it, I flipped on the jersey, walked up to the green and hit both my putts in it. As far as courses he wanted to play, the two that stand out are the Old Course at St Andrews, and Royal Melbourne. Sahith Theegala has started his career at an early age. If Theegala isnt on the golf course, theres a decent chance hes competing in another game chess. . Rather than saying, Who are you? he just said, Youre not supposed to be here. He just assumed that because of the color of our skin, Muralidhar said. ", 10. His ability to score is just such a unique quality, Cootes said. They proceeded to chipping, and Theegala stabbed at those, but they all either went in or ended up right beside the cup. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, many members of the Theegala family made similar moves, establishing a base in southern California. 5. He also loves to test golf apparel especially if it a piece that can be used just about anywhere! Id have been happy if itd just gone in the bunker, and he hits it to 2 feet.. With his collegiate career at an end, Theegala turned pro last spring and made his debut at the Outlaw Tours Lone Tree Classic in Chandler, Arizona, where he finished third and collected a $1,850 paycheck. 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. Sahith TheegalaInstagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin. Hunter took him to the putting green, and hed flick his wrist at every putt, and they all went in. ET Friday to commit to the event. A little bit of both, sure, Theegala said, when asked if he was more proud of the way he hung in at Phoenix or more disappointed with the finish. Very proud of my heritage and my background, Theegala told The Times of India. and that started when he was just 7 as Rick Hunter tells it. He took birth in Orange, California, U.S. Sahith Reddy Theegala Retweeted. His birth name is Sahith Theegala. 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. Search instead in Creative? Depending on what the circumstances were, I wasnt sure what I was going to do the last day. Sahith Theegala is an escape artist. Who are Sahith Theegalas Parents? Sahith is graduated from Pepperdine University and named three-time NCAA All-American. Hes animated. Initially, Muralidhar planned to return to India after finishing his studies, but he fell in love with the U.S. Trust your game., Theegalas parents, who originally hail from India, impressed their culture and values upon their son. Theegala, though, never wavered. Hell definitely just hit, like, shots with a ton of curve in his warm-up, Smith said. This kid can flat-out play. One of his hobbies away from the golf course is chess. I definitely think that Asian heritage part is a big part of why Ive reached this point.. Theegala is a golfer from America and a member of the PGA Tour. Sahith Theegala is 7 under with two holes left in his opening round in Phoenix. PGA TOUR Stats, bio, video, photos, results, and career highlights He had a highly successful collegiate career at Pepperdine, winning every major award there is to win in 2020, although his final season was unfortunately cut short due to COVID-19. Maybe it was his underdog story of a rookie playing on a sponsors exemption, or the look of wide-eyed wonder on his bearded face, or the way his cool name rolls off the tongue, but the raucous galleries at the frat-house-party-like WM Phoenix Open grabbed ahold of Sahith Theegala last weekend and wouldnt let go. To wit: On Friday night, the Theegalas went out for a sushi dinner in Scottsdale. Hes always been very comfortable in his own skin.. His caddie Carl Smith, who recruited him when he was an assistant coach at Pepperdine, can only shake his head when he thinks about Theegalas escape on the drivable par-4 15th in the second round of last falls Shriners Childrens Open. I absolutely freaked out. Im really excited about getting a spot to my hometown event.. This weekend, theyll be playing in front of fans who are maybe best described this way: Talor Gooch was asked Friday the best costume hes seen at TPC Scottsdale. He is a graduate of Swansea University where he studied History and American Studies, and he has been a part of the Golf Monthly team since December 2017. I literally live a mile from where he crashed. It was just the most casual ball-striking clinic, Oh said. LIV Golf Has Exploited Some Weaknesses In PGA Tour - Rory McIlroy, 'How Does This Help The So Called Strategic Alliance?' This kid can flat-out play. But if you shoot 68 playing your game all the time, thats usually going to beat someone who occasionally shoots 62. If we talk about Sahith Theegalas physical measurement then we can say that his height is 6 feet 3 inches and his weight is not known. Viktor Hovland aces the 7th hole at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. You go from potentially making two to making five.. In addition, Theegala holds an American nationality. He is 24 years old. 7. 6. Gary Hoskins. It doesnt matter if its from out of the woods and around trees or getting out of jail greenside; they all end the same. 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. 318 player in the world waited there because the No. He was born on December 04, 1997, in Orange, California, United States. He made his debut at the U.S. Open Tour 2021 of PGA at Torey Pines South Course. A couple weeks ago, Theegala played a casual round at Hillcrest Country Club with longtime friend Danny Oh, a buddy from their junior golf days. He was the Sierra Leagues Athlete of the Year as a senior and the League MVP as a junior. He made his debut at the 2021 Chitimacha Louisiana Open and completed his T-19 at his first Korn Ferry Tour event. And when hes not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. Im definitely proud of my Indian heritage and I hope Im inspiring other Indian Americans and people in India to know they can compete in sports, he told Global Indian. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. How do LIV Golf's TV ratings really compare to the PGA Tour? I dont know what excited him, but he was so excited, Murli recalled. And Riviera is one of my favorite golf courses, so nothing but good memories there. -Sahith Theegala is an American professional golfer who plays in the PGA Tour. this blog, you read all the details of Sahith Theegala Parents, Ethnicity, Wiki, Biography, Age, Partner, Career, Net Worth & More. He can hit it all over the map, and he can shoot the exact same score as if he was striping it. Its not like Im just playing to make the cut or anything like that. Los Angeles, UCLAs senior trio has persevered in restoring the Bruins to national prominence, Hes taken the next step: How Boogie Ellis found his game as USCs point guard, Even after Gavin Lux injury, Andrew Friedman hints at patient approach with roster, Elliott: After trading away Jonathan Quick, Kings make more deals ahead of trade deadline, After four decades, trainer Ed Moger gets his first Triple Crown starter. according to those close to him. Youve gotta have that belief in yourself, Michael Beard, Theegalas coach at Pepperdine, said. 13-16, holing a 15-footer from the fringe on the stadium par-3 16th. It was a pivotal hole. 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. Gregory Odom Jr. of Howard University, the 2023 Collegiate Showcase Pathway Player, pulled hard but finished in a tie for third place with a round of 1-over-par 72. If its a yard right, it shoots to the middle of the green. The Theegalas were not members of a private club, and Sahith was mostly playing at a public course called El Prado. He has one sibling, Sahan Theegala. But when it was his time to tee off, the right-handed Theegala smashed a beautiful left-to-right fade in the narrow gap between a rock outcropping and a canyon. He has a story. Pepperdine University and was named three-time NCAA All-American. If we talked about his zodiac sign then because of taking birth on December 4. 1. February 13, 2022 at 7:29 PM. At least once every two years, Muralidhar made it a point to bring the family back to India, where his parents still live. 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. He dropped for a penalty stroke, chipped to within 14 feet but missed that putt for par, settling for a bogey. 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. In high school, he was just one of those kinds of characters, and thats what he did, Watkins said. 4. I was a basketball coach, that was my passion, so he and I hit it off immediately because were both huge Kobe fans and huge Lakers fan, Watkins said. It just so happened that I had a one-shot lead. This is a PGA TOUR event, the first time I see him with his card, and hes chipping at the putting green, and he shanks one 30 yards, dead shank into the houses on his first chip, Watkins recalled. All the excitement of last weekend took a toll on Theegala, who played a practice round at Riviera on Monday but stayed home Tuesday and Wednesday to rest, turning down several media requests to recover from driving 2,000 miles or so to tour events in recent weeks. USE CODE LOVE5 AT CHECKOUT TO GET AN EXTRA 5% OFF! A golfer for most of his life, Sam is a Senior Staff Writer for Golf Monthly. A post shared by Sahith Reddy Theegala (@srtheegala). I said, Oh boy, Im going to teach him some shot-making at age 7! His longtime coach Rick Hunters favorite escape courtesy of a short game that he thinks has been world-class for eight to 10 years came at the Genesis Invitational in 2017. 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. In short order, a man walked up to them and delivered a clear message about race in golf. Theegala made one final start in 2020, missing the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship. 14. . 13. He would also birdie the 18th hole on his way to . He had won 8 Amature PGA tournaments and became Australian Master of the Amateurs in 2020. Theegala has scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine, which has always forced him to make a different motion than his peers. All kinds of random stuff like that. Also find all Bollywood Movie Information related to release date, Reviews, Web Series Information and celebrities, gossips, and entertainment news. I played 33 holes with Phil [Mickelson] on Sunday, and obviously thats something Im never going to forget as a just-turned 19-year-old in college. Smith has seen so many ridiculous escapes from wayward tee shots that hes just had to learn to trust Theegala when he wants to hit a recovery shot that he thinks is too risky or difficult. So, we learned then how to fade and draw a ball. If you want to say thats a bit like the player he was honoring, go for it. 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. He has joined the private research university Pepperdine. Hes just looking at the shot and trying to come up with the best situation to get it in the hole, said Roy Cootes, Theegalas college roommate. My mom, too, sacrificed so much for me, but my dads definitely the reason Im playing professional golf today.