Theegala Leads Indian-Origin Quartet at FedEx St. Jude Championship
MEMPHIS — Sahith Theegala led the four Indian-origin golfers in the opening round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, shooting a 1-under 69 as the PGA Tour playoffs got underway at TPC Southwind.
Theegala finished the day tied for 26th, while Sudarshan Yellamaraju was tied for 37th after an even-par 70. Akshay Bhatia and PGA champion Aaron Rai both opened with 2-over 72s and were tied for 53rd.
Theegala began his round with a birdie and added three more during the day, including another on the closing hole. His momentum was slowed by bogeys, including consecutive dropped shots on the 14th and 15th holes.
Yellamaraju produced an up-and-down round that included an eagle and a double bogey on consecutive holes. He also made one birdie and one bogey while recording pars on the other 14 holes.
His position is particularly important in the playoff race. Yellamaraju entered the tournament 57th in the FedExCup standings and needs to move inside the top 50 to qualify for next week’s BMW Championship.
Bhatia struggled to build momentum after making two birdies against four bogeys. Three of those bogeys came between the 10th and 14th holes.
Rai also finished at 2 over after recording two birdies and four bogeys.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship is the first of three PGA Tour playoff events, with only the top 50 players in the FedExCup standings advancing to the BMW Championship.
The top-50 cutoff also carries longer-term significance because players who qualify secure access to the PGA Tour’s lucrative Signature Events next season.
At the top of the leaderboard, Jordan Spieth, Michael Thorbjornsen, Jake Knapp, Michael Kim and Kurt Kitayama shared the first-round lead at 5-under 65.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler opened with a 68, while Rory McIlroy struggled to a 74 after dropping four shots over his final three holes. (Source: IANS)
