MIAMI — Sahith Theegala made a strong start at the Cadillac Championship on Thursday, moving into the top 10 after the opening round at Trump National Doral’s difficult Blue Monster course.
Theegala shot a 3-under 69 to finish the first round tied for ninth, four strokes behind leader Cameron Young, who opened with a bogey-free 8-under 64 at the $20 million event. Akshay Bhatia also started well, carding a 2-under 70 to sit tied for 15th, while Indo-Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju opened with a 74 and was tied for 52nd.
Theegala got off to a fast start with three birdies in his first five holes. He made gains on the par-4 second, par-3 third and par-4 fifth before adding birdies on the par-5 10th and par-3 15th.
Bogeys on the 11th and 13th kept him from climbing higher, but his 69 left him in contention as he seeks his first victory of the season. Theegala has already recorded four top-10 finishes this year.
Bhatia was also on pace for a top-10 position before a late mistake. He stood at 3 under through 17 holes, but found water off the tee on the 18th and made bogey, dropping him into a tie for 15th.
Young set the pace with a clean opening round, using sharp iron play and strong putting to build a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth and Alex Smalley, who each finished at 7 under. Spieth’s round included an eagle on the par-5 eighth, though he gave back shots with two bogeys on the back nine.
Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked player, had an uneven round. He began with three early birdies but slipped back with consecutive bogeys on the 10th and 11th before finishing at 1 under.
Canada’s Nick Taylor was fourth after a 6-under 66. Nico Echavarria, who won earlier this season at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, opened with a 67, while Gary Woodland remained close after a 68.
Theegala is scheduled to begin his second round Friday alongside Taylor Pendrith as he looks to build on his opening-round momentum. (Source: IANS)
