Theegala… lying fifth
Scottsdale, AZ, Feb 12: Indian-American Sahith Theegala continued to make his sponsor’s exemption count well as he pushed himself onto the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the WM Phoenix Open. Rookie Theegala is now 12-under for 36 holes.
Theegala, who was 7-under through 16 holes of the first round when the first day’s play ended due to darkness but when he came back to play in the morning he finished bogey-bogey to drop to 5-under 66.
However in the second round, Theegala got back to business with 7-under 64 which included eight birdies, four on each side of the course. He had one bogey on the eighth hole.
Theegala is now two shots clear of defending champion Brooks Koepka (66-66) and Olympic gold medallist Xander Schauffele (67-65).
India’s Anirban Lahiri (70-75) found himself on the wrong side of the cut line for the first time in three starts as signs of early season rust continued to show. Lahiri had just two birdies and dropped six bogeys and exited early as the cut fell at 2-under.
Two weeks after receiving a surprise sponsor’s exemption, the 24-year-old Theegala finds in a title fight with the likes of Koepka and Schauffele. Reigning FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay (66) at 9;-under is three behind Theegala.
First round leader Korean K.H. Lee, who led after Theegala dropped two shots in his last two holes of the remaining first round, had to overcome an early double bogey in second round to card a 70. He slipped to Tied-eighth place on 7-under while Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time WM Phoenix Open champion, enters the weekend in T13 following a second straight 68.
Theegala, a former amateur star at Pepperdine University, began his second round in style with four birdies in his opening five holes and then finished with an aplomb with four more birdies in his closing six holes to extend his dream week.
He said, “Pretty great. I haven’t had time to let it set in and hopefully I don’t think too much about it because obviously what I’ve been doing has been working, but, yeah, again, just thankful I’m here and trying to make the most out of the opportunity. No expectations at all, honestly.”
He showed a cool head despite a disappointing start to his day, and his ball-striking prowess has helped yield 15 birdies so far, which is the best haul amongst the elite field.
“I wasn’t too upset about the way it started (in the remaining two holes of the first round). Like I had a 15-footer to start the day, I put a good roll, just missed. And the next tee shot I put it under the lip of the fairway bunker and I’m like, okay, I can’t do much about that, right? And I knew if I kept putting the ball in the fairway I’m going to have scoring opportunities.”
Theegala, whose father emigrated from India to California, had initially planned to enjoy a week off after four straight tournaments but altered his plans after receiving the invitation to this week’s US$8.2 million showpiece. With the WM Phoenix Open known for its exuberant fans and party-like stadium atmosphere, Theegala’s parents and six other uncles and cousins joined in the trip to Phoenix and has since formed his cheering squad.
“Oh, for sure my family,” Theegala responded when asked who was having more fun. “They’re such a great bunch, they’re so positive and the fact they drove out here just to support me and walk six hours and probably dehydrated out there and feet hurting and still cheering me on, it’s really cool to know that they’re there.”
Last October, Theegala, who was ranked No. 3 in the world amateur golf ranking, held the lead/co-lead through three rounds at the Sanderson Farms Championship before finishing tied eighth, his lone top-10 to date on TOUR. He hopes the experience will push him towards a win.
“That was a huge week for me. It was probably the best stretch of golf I played. Some of the best ball striking I’ve ever had. So it was really great for me, knowing that when I’m playing near the top of my game that I’m able to compete. That was the biggest takeaway I had from that week and because of that I was able to put myself in contention,” said Theegala, who earned his PGA TOUR card through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals last year.
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