And when Sahith got old enough to understand what was going on, he would cry when the Lakers lost. So that was the best, the gorilla chasing the bananas.. He plays very few straight shots. Murli Theegala, Sahith's father, seems like the nicest, most positive and supportive dad, with a lovely onscreen energy. 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. For those most invested in Theegalas journey, the answer is yes. 14 . He continued his season with a tied-for-sixth finish at the Genesis Invitational in February 2023. WM Phoenix Open: Spurred by family support, Sahith Theegala records life-changing finish. 7. POINTS Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Sahith Theegala is an escape artist. Theo Mackie covers Arizona high school sports and Phoenix Rising FC. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Theegala is a golfer from America and a member of the PGA Tour. Other notable alums from the school include Major League Baseball's Jim Edmonds, football's Alex Morgan and the NBA's Keith Van Horn. In a 27-year teaching and coaching career, Watkins says Theegala is easily one of the most humble kids he has ever coached or taught. J. Vegas Full Leaderboard ESPN Sahith Theegala United States Birthdate 12/4/1997 (25) Birthplace Orange, California College. 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. And Riviera is one of my favorite golf courses, so nothing but good memories there. "I got off to a pretty hot start . Now one of just a handful of Indian American golfers to ever compete on the PGA Tour, the 63 California native is looking to make a name for himself among the professional ranks and is doing a solid job of that thus far. But make no mistake about it. Sahith Theegala Parents, Ethnicity, Wiki, Bio, Age, Girlfriend, Career, Net Worth & More. Theegala opened his 2022-23 season with a top-10 finish at the Fortinet Championship in September 2022. Proud of him. 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. Ultimately, were all trying to do the same thing in pro golf and thats make a successful career. How cool is that? At Sony (Open), wed had two months off, and he did to say to me, Yeah, I had another one of those moments of like, Wow, Im on the PGA TOUR! Its just so refreshing, and I hope he never loses that.. PGA Sahith Theegala Parents And Background - Halla News Besides, he has his birthday celebration on December 4 each year. Sahith Theegala - Wikipedia Maybe he can walk away thinking, I can still compete with the best in the world when I wasnt hitting everything exactly where I wanted to. Just that alone could hopefully give him that extra belief and confidence that he can compete with these guys and be a player on the tour for a long time.. 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. We always love to meet each other.. Paired with Phil Mickelson for the final 32 holes on Sunday after a weather delay with thousands of spectators following along, Theegala hit his tee shot on the famed par-3 sixth hole featuring a bunker in the middle of the green over the bunker to the back of the green. The Official PGA TOUR Profile of Sahith Theegala. Hunter knew if he could do that with no form, he was going to be special when he gained it. 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? In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. Standing beside his cousin and son, Muralidhar leans back, raising both his arms in the air and yelling, Great putt buddy, great putt, before high-fiving everyone in sight. Its part of the reason he found golf in the first place. 10 and made four straight birdies on Nos. Sahith Theegala Parents & Nationality:-Sahith Theegala is an American professional golfer who plays in the PGA Tour. Speaking to the PGA Tour Theegala said: "I learned chess when I was a young kid, but I didnt play for 10 years in between there. Theegala grew up in a family that emphasized academics and was enthralled by American sports. Theegala in the past has acknowledged that he is more of a feel type of player and has never been into the mechanics as much as other players. He made his debut at the Outlaw Tours Lone Tree Classic and achieved the third rank. Last week, though, at Sony he was really excited about Klay Thompson coming back to the Warriors with Steph (Curry) and Klay back together.. His maiden win on the PGA Tour was an unofficial one, coming at the QBE Shootout doubles event with Tom Hoge in December 2022. Meet Phoenix Open leader with one hell of a Kobe story. Actually, it's likely the vast majority of people tuning in have never even heard of him. Who is Sahith Theegala? Meet Phoenix Open leader with one hell - Golf 4. 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. Depending on what the circumstances were, I wasnt sure what I was going to do the last day. Once, he hit seven or eight before a California Interscholastic Federation Finals match, which the team proceeded to win. Sahith Theegala has made his debut at the U.S. Open Tour 2021 of PGA at Torey Pines South Course. Everyone around Theegala has their moment when they knew he was special, and the natural talent was unlike anything theyd seen before. From a young age, he was very creative, as Muralidhar puts it. 8. He finished 3rd in his professional debut at the Lone Tree Classic on the Outlaw Tour. Thats moxie. I could hardly play the practice round. And he didnt.. He was the 2010 Junior Masters Champion. It went left and trickled into the water. The PGA Tour, in a memo obtained by ESPN, told its members that, starting in 2024, eight designated events will have fields between 70 to 80 players and no cuts. 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. 4. But this calmness thats uniquely Sahith. Im really excited about getting a spot to my hometown event.. Background of Sahith Theegala's Parents. Sahith Theegalas Nationalityis American. He just doesnt know when. 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. I was asking him how his short game is so put together, and he basically said nothing is mechanics-based, Cootes said. His birth name is Sahith Theegala. Heres how it works. (Theegala continued needing fashion help throughout his college career.) But he destroyed me, so he kind of got me back into chess, and that happened to be the year I injured my wrist too, so I wasnt able to play any sports, so I was sitting indoors all day just trying to get better at chess. He likes to curve the ball a lot. The No. The athletic talent is easy to explain. Sahith is graduated from Pepperdine University and named three-time NCAA All-American. 14. . February 13, 2022 at 7:29 PM. I felt OK. I was looking to see if he had any nerves or apprehension. Beside Theegala, two of golfs biggest stars Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele prepared for shots of their own, each pining for the 54-hole lead. 4. But if you shoot 68 playing your game all the time, thats usually going to beat someone who occasionally shoots 62. There, he made a birdie on the par-5 to get to 4-under on his round. 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. He was playing online chess. And it was different because we had no experience with sports at all, so he spearheaded the whole mission to college and professional golf. Sahith Theegala is an American professional player of Indian ethnic background. I think its pretty cool that I could have a chance to represent my culture on a big stage.. He graduated in 2020 and also turned professional in the same year. 12. 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. Sahith Theegala, a professional golfer in the United States, was born on December 4, 1997, to Indian parents in Orange, California. 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 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. In addition, Theegala holds an American nationality. His scoliosis creates the problem of so much side bend on the downswing, and it really comes to light with the driver, not so much with the irons, Hunter said. Of the 156 golfers competing in the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, 23-year-old Sahith Theegala obviously isnt the biggest name in the field. For Hunter, it was when he came to him as a 6-year-old for his first lesson. GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF, Who is Sahith Theegala? In Orange, California, Sahith Theegala was born to Indian parents; his adored mother is Karuna Theegala, and his father is Muralidhar Theegala. Sahith Theegala age is 23 years old. A native of East Lyme, Conn., and a graduate of Cal State Fullerton, he began writing for The Times in 1981. Similarly, Sahith shares an Indian-American ethnicity. but Theegala hits shanks on purpose for fun. He could always get away with stuff like that because he knew how to shape it out of trouble.. 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. He was my sports idol growing up, so that would definitely be the one.". Really, really proud of him.. Find the latest Bollywood News and Celebrity Gossips from Latest In Bollywood. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Its hard to swallow because he made a great swing and hit it where he wanted to, Beard said. 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. Not a single par and four birdies to finish with. Odom competed in the Collegiate Showcase at The Riviera Country Club on Monday, February 13 with the opportunity to earn the final . "I'm definitely proud of my Indian heritage and I hope I'm inspiring other Indian Americans and people in India to know they can compete in sports," he told Global Indian. Press Esc to cancel. Hes made five more starts on the KFT since then and has made the cut in each, his best finish a tie for ninth at the MGM Resorts Championship at Paiute. Hes just hilarious that way.. Initially, Muralidhar planned to return to India after finishing his studies, but he fell in love with the U.S. Yeah, I wasnt too upset about the way it started, Theegala said. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. 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. Hunter took him to the putting green, and hed flick his wrist at every putt, and they all went in. 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. . One of his hobbies away from the golf course is chess. Showing Editorial results for sahith theegala. I dont want to sound cocky or anything, but Im playing to win, Theegala said. Viktor Hovland aces the 7th hole at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. When Watkins went to watch him at the Fortinet Championship this past fall, he learned quickly Theegalas still the same guy. His caddie, who had never caddied for a rookie until now, has appreciated the youthful exuberance and appreciation that Theegala has found on TOUR. Hes giving high-fives to the people walking by. 2023 Getty Images. His sponsors include PING, FootJoy, Unisys Corporation, Linksoul and BURN180. ), 2 pre-round warm-up exercises Sahith Theegala does before every round, Sahith Theegala finally added this common club to his Ping setup, 3 things to know after Saturday at the Sanderson Farms Championship, Nicklaus Award winner Sahith Theegala taking 'Mamba mentality' to the pro ranks. . He led the PGA Tour in birdies made for the 2012-22 season with a total of 433. 5. Hovland stepped up to the tee at the par-3 No. Who is Sahith Theegala? Meet the WM Phoenix Open leader who still lives Sahith Theegala Background. According to Theegala's mother, Karuna, "Sahith was 3 years old when he picked up a plastic club, and by 6 years old he had won the Junior World Championship." The Orange, Calif., native . Official World Golf Ranking - Player Profile 2022. 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. Theegala grew up a Lakers fan in Chino Hills, Calif. I think theres kind of a stereotype people have that Indians arent great athletes, because theyre arent seen a lot in American sports. . Sahith Theegala is an American professional golfer. It doesnt matter if its from out of the woods and around trees or getting out of jail greenside; they all end the same. What is Sahith Theegalas ethnicity? And he has a great imagination. Hes like, Oh, cool. Hes just always super casual.. Hes super likable and doesnt give off any arrogant vibe. The two sports we watched were golf and basketball, and Ive been a Lakers fan since I can remember. Theegala was born in Orange, California, on December 4th 1997. 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. 10. It literally couldnt have worked out better. Sahith Theegala, his first round on Thursday suspended due to darkness, went back to the house, ordered Thai and watched basketball. 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. We all did.. Search instead in Creative? I say, Have fun. Why would I say Good luck? You already did your work on the range. So, Id definitely say my father. USE CODE LOVE5 AT CHECKOUT TO GET AN EXTRA 5% OFF! Both are from Highland Park High in Texas. Hunter knew if he could do that with no form, he was going to be special when he gained it. He did not disclose his personal information and wants to keep his personal information private. Theegala has a best finish of second, and an average finish of 31st, in his 30 events during the past year (including 26 made cuts). Sahith Theegala is a 24 years old American professional golfer born in Orange, California, United States, on the 4th of December 1997 to . 1-ranked Pepperdine team had their national championship hopes dashed in March by the coronavirus outbreak. A few holes later, a pair of Indian fans who found inspiration in Sahiths performance got a photo with Sahan Sahiths brother, who flew in Sunday from Seton Hall in New Jersey because he wouldnt miss it for the world.. Rory McIlroy says that proposed changes on the PGA Tour to smaller fields with no cut have come about due to LIV Golf, Richard Bland says the PGA Tour has no interest in the Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour judging by the latest changes. On June 26, 2022, he made his highest rank of 66 on PGA Tour. Sahith Theegala Stats, News, Bio | ESPN Youll never meet anyone who doesnt like him. 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. 18. Speaking beside the eighth green, Muralidhar pauses mid-sentence when Sahith begins lining up a putt. Gary Hoskins. Thegeela said about his parents: My parents always kept me disciplined. The best outfit that Ive seen, it was actually not from this year, it was two years ago maybe, and actually didnt see it on 16, but I saw them, it was a group running to 16 at 6 a.m., and it was a bunch of bananas and then a gorilla, Gooch said. He is 24 years old. 2. On Saturday night, they decided to return to the same establishment. Ans. But know that not every dude can step up to an 18th green with a one-shot lead, toss a jersey over his head and win a tournament, days after your hero dies, minutes from where you live. It was all in an attempt to keep his game sharp, a very different process than most rising stars in the game who are often overburdened with instruction and over-reliant on technology to aid in improvement. Now we tell you about his religion is not known. He completed T-14 at the 2020 Safeway Open on the PGA Tour. Its horrible, Beard said, adding that Theegala would play lots of tournaments to practice on better courses. His ability to score is just such a unique quality, Cootes said. 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. Start the Golf Season off right with InsideGOLF ($100 value - just $20). 3. Hed go over to the putting area and just shank one and a ball would go flying by my head or something. The Players Championship will be contested next week without its biggest draw. 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. As a young kid, Sahith first decided to try the sport after watching PGA Tour events with Muralidhar. By Sapana Bajracharya July 21, 2022 02:35 PM; Sahith Theegala is a professional golfer from United States. He has an insane short game. 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. PGA Tour pro Sahith Theegala hit one of the strangest shots of 2022 during the first round of the QBE Shootout. If its a yard right, it shoots to the middle of the green. Sunday followed much of the same trend. Sahith Theegala was born on December 4, 1997. I was just really happy to do that, to pay my respects to the guy who Ive idolized pretty much for my whole career., Theegala, after Friday at the Phoenix, continues to lead after a scorching, eight-birdie, one-bogey 64, the days low round. All kinds of random stuff like that. Watkins knew that Theegala didnt need to hit driver off the dogleg right at their home golf course, but he could only laugh when Theegala would hit it anyways. Sahith Theegala Parents Background: Golfer Ethnicity and Nationality Sahith Theegala United States Birthdate 12/4/1997 (25) Birthplace Orange, California College Pepperdine Swing Right Turned Pro 2020 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. Now we tell you about his religion is not known. For Hunter, it was when he came to him as a 6-year-old for his first lesson. His career-low round on the PGA Tour is a 62, which came at the 2022 American Express. He competed at three U.S. 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. Thirty-five years ago, Muralidhar made the most important step in the familys journey, when he immigrated to the United States from Hyderabad, India. 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. BA1 1UA. If we talked about his zodiac sign then because of taking birth on December 4. He credits his Indian heritage and his hard-working parents with helping him find success as a rookie on the US PGA Tour. 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. He was born on December 04, 1997, in Orange, California, United States. I still dont know why he does it, but he just loves curving the ball.. 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. 20. He holds American nationality. He now lives in Spring, Texas, just north of Houston. 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. I went back to my apartment, I had a few jerseys and a pair of Kobes that Ive had for a while. Players had until 5 p.m. How do LIV Golfs TV ratings really compare to the PGA Tour? Indian-American golfer Sahith Theegala is of Asian heritage. ", 9. Im like, Oh my god, are you kidding me? And his caddies cracking up. He returned to the PGA Tour at the Charles Schwab Challenge but missed the cut. 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. Even these days, Theegalas pre-round warm-up routine catches his caddie off guard featuring shots that no other TOUR pro practices on the range before a round. They proceeded to chipping, and Theegala stabbed at those, but they all either went in or ended up right beside the cup. Golfer's Pro Journey Starts With a Burst Bubble - The New York Times The most remarkable part of Theegalas week came in his ability to succeed under pressure. Theegala grabbed the lead in Scottsdale with a second-round 64. He then hit a 6-iron onto the par-5 green and two-putted for birdie to start his collegiate career. He had little fear blasting it through the fairway into the woods because he liked shaping it around trees anyways. 2. He currently lives in Chino Hills, California. Pepperdine was the top-ranked team in the country when the college golf season was shut down due to COVID-19. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. As far as courses he wanted to play, the two that stand out are the Old Course at St Andrews, and Royal Melbourne. He just gets online and plays people live and hell practice against the computers too, Smith said. At least once every two years, Muralidhar made it a point to bring the family back to India, where his parents still live. Sahith Theegala odds, tips and betting trends | The WM Phoenix Open Most things are low-key with Theegala. We talk about basketball all the time because I follow basketball and the Lakers a lot, Smith said. 5. 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. Hes amazing at recovery shots. Consider PGA Tour-star-in-the-making Sahith Theegala as Exhibit A; his approach to putting embodies that Einstein witticism like few other golfers. 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. 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. Sahith Theegala, Tom Hoge team up to win QBE Shootout Thats awesome that they feel like Im somebody they can root for. An unlucky bounce sent his tee shot into the water and the resulting bogey cost him a spot in Sundays playoff. A stunning effort by the young man with his roots in Hyderabad. He grew up playing on public courses in Chino and calls El Prado Golf Course . But he then made consecutive weekends at the Barracuda Championship, where he tied for 41st, and the 2020-21 season-opening Safeway Open, where he tied for 14th. 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. Sahith Theegala has started his career at an early age. As a junior in 2017-18, Theegala led the Waves in stroke average (70.86), earned his second victory, was an All-WCC First Team selection for the third consecutive year, and was again named a third-team All-American. He has a story. Hopefully there is some inspiration behind that, for people who watch me and realize that you dont have to be the stereotypical white golfer.. At least once every two years, his father, Muralidhar, who was born in Hyderabad, India, made it a point to bring the family back to India, where his parents still live. . Type above and press Enter to search. Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. Other notable alums from the school include Major League Baseballs Jim Edmonds, soccers Alex Morgan and the NBAs Keith Van Horn. Name: Sahith Theegala Hometown: Orange, Calif. College: Pepperdine Why we're watching: Sahith Theegala first became a fan favorite on the PGA Tour after he just missed out on a win at the. Sahith Theegala is the son of Muralidhar Theegala (father) and Karuna Theegala (mother). But the eighth hole had been a trouble spot, with two bogeys in his first three rounds. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Age, Children, Height & Instagram, Brandi Boyd Parents, Ethnicity, Wiki, Biography, Age, Husband, Children, Career, Net Worth & More, Swapnil Pandey Biography, Age, Family, Girlfriend, Height, Net Worth, Instagram, Efraim Genuino Biography, Wiki, Age, Parents, Wife, Nationality, Height, Net Worth 2023 & More, General Amjad Shoaib Biography, Career, Family, Education, Relationship, Net Worth And More. I would cry when the Lakers would lose or Kobe would have a bad game when I was young. 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? Any back-related abnormality obviously isnt a good thing for any golfer, but Theegala has found a way to make it work. Theegala made one final start in 2020, missing the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Sahith Theegala falls short in Phoenix, but gains many new fans in the And theres this. Born in Orange, California, Sahith is the son of Karuna and Muralidhar Theegala.