HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Sahith Theegala opened the RBC Heritage with a 2-under 69, leaving him tied for 27th after the first round of the $20 million PGA Tour Signature event, six shots behind leader Ludvig Åberg.
Theegala started strong, recording three birdies in his first four holes and four in his opening seven. He added birdies on the seventh and ninth to reach 4-under at the turn.
The momentum slowed on the back nine, where bogeys on the 10th, 11th, and 18th holes offset a lone birdie on the 15th, dropping him back to 2-under for the round.
Akshay Bhatia and Sudarshan Yellamaraju, the other players of Indian origin in the field, had slower starts. Bhatia carded a 2-over 73 to sit tied for 65th, while Yellamaraju finished with a 3-over 74, placing tied for 70th.
Bhatia’s round included three bogeys and one birdie, continuing a difficult run following The Players Championship, with missed cuts at both the Hero Indian Open and The Masters.
Yellamaraju struggled early, opening with a triple bogey. He recovered briefly with a birdie but added a bogey on the 14th, finishing 3-over.
At the top of the leaderboard, Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg fired a bogey-free 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead as he seeks his third PGA Tour title. Harris English and Viktor Hovland sit one stroke back after rounds of 7-under 64.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, coming off a runner-up finish at The Masters, posted a 3-under 68 to sit tied for 20th. FedEx Cup leader Cameron Young opened with an even-par 71, tied for 54th.
Defending champion Justin Thomas struggled in his opening round, carding a 5-over 76 to fall to tied 80th. (Source: IANS)
