By Rahul Banerji
He’s 23, in only his 15th PGA Tour start and has led the ongoing Sanderson Farms Championship from day one with three sub-70 scores.
He is also a three-time All-American with California’s Pepperdine University and tipped as one for the future ever he began being noticed as an amateur.
Meet S.R. Theegala, or Sahith Reddy Theegala, or Sahith Reddy as he would have been known in India had his parents not moved to the United States, father Murli coming over first in 1987 for graduate studies.
After three days of the event in Jackson, Missisippi, the 2020 collegiate golfer of the year lead a packed field by one shot on 18-under par 198 (64-67-67);
Four others – Cameron Tringale (71-66-62), Denny McCarthy (69-65-65), Sam Burns (68-66-65) and Cameron Young (67-65-67) were a shot behind going into the final round.
According to the PGA Tour’s event notes, Reddy has so far made 17 birdies, one eagle and one bogey over his first 54 holes.
The lone dropped shot was in his second round.
In Saturday’s bogey-free round, Reddy made five birdies, including three-straight on holes 10, 11 and 12 to post a second-consecutive 67.
Coming out of Southern California’s public courses, Reddy graduated from Diamond Bar High School before joining Pepperdine University.
Dominant force
On the collegiate circuit, he was a four-time winner and dominated as America’s top collegiate in 2020 despite almost a year off with a wrist injury.
He also won the Australian Masters of the Amateurs tournament, in Victoria.
Along with the left-handed Akshay Bhatia, Reddy has been progressing on the PGA Tour since earning his card on the Korn Ferry Tour.
On the KFT Finals, he had top-six finishes in his last two starts (T4/Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, and sixth at the KFT Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance).
Bhatia, also a Californian, turned professional last year instead of going the university route.
Reddy was was one of three finalists for the collegiate award past winners which include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson (thrice) and Justin Thomas, to name just a few.
Clear goal
“Ever since I started college I had a goal to be one of the top college players when I was done with school,” he told Golfweek last year.
“I look at the guys that have won the Haskins Award. … all these guys are winners on Tour and legends of the game.
“I went through the list and literally recognised every one of them. The thought of being on a list with names like that means the world to me.”
Reddy emerged the 50th winner of the Haskins Award and was the first from Pepperdine University to do so.
If he does go on to win the Sanderson Farms Championship, where Anirban Lahiri missed the cut despite a four-under score, Reddy repeat Erik van Rooyen’s feat at the 2021 Barracuda Championship as a first-time winner.
Back in 2017, Reddy was tied for eighth place in the Genesis Invitational while still playing as an amateur before finishing in a tie for 49th place.
At the season-opening Fortinet Championship two weeks ago Reddy was tied 49th and in his only previous start at the Sanderson Farms last year, he missed cut with a 71-72, 143 aggregate.
Also read: Bhatia, Theegala stretched on opening day at Torrey Pines
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