HOUSTON, Texas — Sahith Theegala and Sudarshan Yellamaraju moved into a tie for seventh place after the third round of the Houston Open, positioning themselves for a strong finish heading into Sunday’s final round.
Both players sit at 10-under par overall, with Yellamaraju carding a 5-under 65 and Theegala posting a 4-under 66 on Saturday.
Theegala, whose rounds read 67-67-66, recorded five birdies and one bogey in his third round. He picked up strokes on the third, fifth, 10th, 13th, and 17th holes, with his only bogey coming on the eighth.
Yellamaraju, an Indo-Canadian who finished tied for fifth at the recent Players Championship, delivered one of the day’s stronger performances with seven birdies and two bogeys. His round included birdies on the third, fourth, fifth, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 18th holes, offset by bogeys on the sixth and ninth. His scores for the week stand at 69-66-65.
At the top of the leaderboard, Gary Woodland holds a one-shot lead at 18-under par after a third-round 65, following earlier rounds of 64 and 63.
Nicolai Højgaard sits in second place at 17-under after shooting a 7-under 63 on Saturday. He had posted the lowest round of the tournament earlier in the week with an 8-under 62.
Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is seeking his first victory since undergoing surgery for a brain lesion. He said he has been energized by the crowd throughout the week and is focused on maintaining his composure heading into the final round.
“I’ve just got to take a deep breath, I’ll have a good night ahead of me tonight to recover and rest, and tomorrow just don’t get ahead of yourself,” Woodland said. “I’m here, I put myself in this position for a reason, so take a deep breath and maintain what I’m doing.”
A victory this week would secure Woodland a spot in the Masters, set to begin in two weeks.
Min Woo Lee, the defending champion, is currently in third place at 12-under after rounds of 68-63-67 and is already assured a place in the Masters field. Højgaard, ranked No. 47 in the Official World Golf Ranking, is also seeking a strong finish to secure his position in the tournament. (Source: IANS)
