Fairways are an added feature to Sahith Theegala. a supporting component in his golf recipe. If he does, that’s excellent. If not, well, that’s life. He is capable of getting by.
Theegala does not intentionally avoid playing from the fairway, though. It’s simply not necessary. Since the minute he picked up a club, he has been spraying it off the tee, and he has no intention of stopping any time soon. It’s not a bug; it’s a feature. One he feels secure in embracing.
It’s appropriate that his first TOUR triumph typified Theegala’s philosophy. He didn’t have an unusually successful week with his golf club, hitting every fairway and finishing in the winner’s circle. No, this was the definition of Theegala Golf , a fantastic , exhilarating, and occasionally insane show of shot-making. A challenging and inventive short game. And a putter that was sure to get hot on the Poa annua greens he grew up playing in Chino Hills, California, six hours inland.
It appears to be a team victory. Theegala, who shot a final-round 68 in front of more than 40 family members and friends to win the Fortinet Championship, said. He stated “It doesn’t feel like a win just for myself; it’s for everyone that’s supporting me and kind of put me where I am today.” He beat S.H. Kim by two strokes with a final score of 21 under. Only 47% of Theegala’s fairways were hit, and he never made more than seven in a round.
Theegala was in the rough to the left of the 14th fairway. He drove left for the second straight drive to a dogleg left par 4. Not a place to skip. Although he had a four-shot advantage, his nearest rivals still faced two par-5 holes, so any error would have been costly. Theegala’s thoughts started to speed when he encountered dangling tree limbs on his path. Not of anxiety, but rather of the opportunities.
To Theegala, these situations resemble a game. He enjoys playing chess and planning out numerous moves in advance as well as the potential outcomes of various manoeuvres. As he considers his next shot, he begins to act similarly.
“Does a chippy 50-degree ever get that high?” Theegala inquires. Concerned about the tree branches sticking out between him and the hole.
Carl Smith, his caddie, replies, “No, no chance”.
Theegala chooses a 110-yard attempt. The rear right corner of the green, 122 yards from where Theegala is standing, is where the green is located. He claims that the ball will jump. He is lying in some unkempt grass that looks like Bermuda grass.
Smith says, “Commit,” and he turns to leave.
Theegala performs best in this situation. The ball is launched with just enough arc to catch the leading edge of the green with some spin while being low enough to slide beneath the trees. 20 feet away, the ball trundles forward and lands pin-high. Another precarious tee ball has been avoided by him. He has his eye on a dagger in particular.
Theega scans the putt for a birdie. He has improved his putting by more than eight strokes. He’s been moving with incredible quickness all week. He sets a goal and puts his putter back in his bag. Later, the crowd explodes.
The advantage is now five.
Being forced into a corner has a certain allure. His cars do this all the time. Theegala’s inventiveness can flow freely there, whether it comes from the trees, harsh terrain, sand, or pine straw.
“He has that intangible quality. It’s like, wow, how did he accomplish that. I don’t want to say magic. It seems like there is constantly a noteworthy event.” Beard acknowledged , stating that his game had elements of Jordan Spieth style.
Like with magic, there is always a secret that reveals the trick. Theegala’s in his head. He possesses the imagination to come up with a shot and the zeal to execute it. He doesn’t let a bad drive get him down. It offers a chance to accomplish something amazing. Furthermore, he most likely missed in a position from which he can recover.
“Even while it appears as like he is shooting it off the golf course, 90% of the time he is actually hitting it in areas from which he can make another shot to the green. Even though it appears to be way right, I’ll wager that the hole is much better off going right than left.” Beard said.
Theegala thinks geometrically. He practised drawing and fading shots as a child by visualising trees directly in front of him on the driving range. He never believed that his swing was good enough to rely solely on a straight shot. It was also dull. Over the years, his dispersion has tightened, but he hasn’t changed his approach. Theegala scorched a low drive on the 12th par-5 that never rose 50 feet in the air to avoid the breeze. He achieved par. He relied on his swooping cut, a technique he’s used since infancy, when he needed to hit a strong drive on the 16th hole. He made the putt after hitting the fairway and sticking his approach to seven feet. This week, he missed more than half of his fairways, yet he made 75% of his greens. The best of Theegala Golf.
Theegala is genuinely laid-back; this is not a front. Those who are close to him witness it every day. However, whether they were created by you or not, you need some demons to drive you if you want to become a top-tier professional athlete.
The WM Phoenix Open in 2022 is where the narrative begins. Theegala was tied for the lead going into the final round as a rookie on the TOUR. Theegala hit a drive on one of the most well-known driveable par 4s on the TOUR that took a vicious kick and bounded into the water. He lost the chance to win.
Theegala melted in his parents’ arms outside the scoring area as he was overcome with emotion, and his father, Murali, comforted him by saying, “You’ll get your day soon.”
Other rookies were more anticipated after the Korn Ferry Tour, but Theegala had recently finished T3 after competing against Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele.
He would have two more top-five finishes at the end of the year, including a runner-up finish at the Travelers Championship and a move to the TOUR Championship. He is no longer a green horn. He is a budding star.
This is a result intently remembered by Theegala. As he stood at the fifth par-5 hole of Silverado Resort’s North Course with his ball in the greenside bunker, Theegala flashed back to the fifth gap of the last round of TPC Scottsdale.
He was also leading at the time, and he remembers thinking about the difficult holes left to play and protecting his lead. He wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
“I just remember thinking today, like I want more than this. I just want to keep playing like I’ve been playing all week and see how far I can get,” he said.
He made his bunker shot all the way to the tap-in range, making his third birdie in the first five holes.
Theegala insisted he did not think about winning. His goal for the week is to improve and work hard to compete. But it finally crept into his mind after his tee shot landed on the green of the 17th par-3 hole. He allowed himself to take it all in when he looked up and discovered he had a four-shot lead. No water ball would ever get in his way like the WM Phoenix Open. He felt confident he would prevail. Bogey on the 18th hole was unimportant. He enjoyed the moment and tapped in for a six. Finally successful, he did it in his home state in front of numerous family members and friends.
There to welcome him were his parents. They frequently visit Theegala’s starting points and are regulars on TOUR.
His father Murali gave him the motivation to take up the sport. Theegala found it difficult to remain emotion-free when thinking about it.
Growing up, his primary aspiration was to join TOUR. Beyond that, he didn’t think much. He carried out the task at his own pace and with his own swing. He’s now a winner.
It’s time to dream bigger.
“I believe I will need to make some revisions.” he said.
