SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Early WM Phoenix Open leader Sahith Theegala has quite a few lasting memories from his previous two appearances at this tournament. But none of them have included freezing sideways rain, numb fingers and puddles on greens.
Thursday’s opening day at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course was nothing short of chaotic after players were pulled off the course due to unplayable conditions at 12:32 p.m. local time. Flooded fairways and pools on greens forced the players to return to the clubhouse for more than three hours. Well, some of them. Theegala hid out in his car with his trainer and caddie, solving chess puzzles on his phone to pass the time while regaining feeling in his limbs.
Despite the interruption, Theegala was pleased with his play. A 6-under 65 put him in the solo lead, for now. As of the conclusion of play Thursday evening, only 22 of 44 groups had finished their rounds and Theegala led by one ahead of Andrew Novak and two clear of Shane Lowry and S.H. Kim.
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After Thursday’s round, the Pepperdine product described every part of his game as clicking perfectly into place.
“Usually it’s one or two things that kind of hold up the round, but it felt like through the bag I did something good with every club, it felt like. It was a great feeling,” Theegala said.
Despite the need for a few more long irons into par-4s than he’s used to on this setup, that cruise-control feeling seems to be one that Theegala achieves often here in the desert. His round included seven birdies, including a chip-in on the par-4 2nd.
“It was a great feeling, I made the short putts when I needed to. Obviously chipping in is always nice,” he said.
Theegala has come a long way since 2022, when he held the second- and third-round leads of this tournament as a PGA Tour rookie playing on a sponsor’s exemption. The golf world watched eagerly as the rowdy Phoenix crowds embraced him and his robust crew of family members. The 24-year-old, who still lived with his parents at the time, went from drawing the very last tee time in the tournament’s opening round to hearing the entire 16th hole Coliseum chant his name as he chased his maiden PGA Tour victory that Sunday.
But with a water ball on the drivable par-4 17th, the prospect of a win quickly slipped out of reach. Theegala sobbed in his mother’s arms outside of the scoring tent after finishing tied for third. The emotional moment—captured up-close by PGA Tour social media—was undoubtedly a difficult one for Theegala to share with the world, but it instantly solidified him as one of the easier players to root for on Tour.
In a post-round interview Thursday with Golf Channel, Theegala revealed that he took a peek at his Sunday scorecard and watched back that final round for the first time in two years. According to the Southern California native, it brought back warm memories.
Since that Sunday, Theegala has skyrocketed to No. 22 in the world. He finally snagged his first solo PGA Tour victory at the 2023 Fortinet Championship in Napa, Calif., where he won by two. He has nine top-5s and 14 top-10s on Tour, in addition to 61 made cuts in 80 starts. At the PGA Tour’s season opener in Kapalua, Theegala nearly captured a second trophy, finishing in solo second one shot behind Chris Kirk.
“I think a big thing for me is confidence. I don’t think I’ve ever lacked confidence but now that I have some results to back up what I’ve been doing in practice and what my team’s been doing for me. I think mentally is where I’ve seen a bigger progression,” Theegala told Golf Channel.
Theegala says his longtime coach Rick Hunter has been pivotal in building up his mental game. Although they don’t discuss the psychological side of the sport much, the sheer presence of someone with Hunter’s wisdom keeps Theegala grounded. That is especially true now that Theegala is playing at such an elite level, where it’s easy to tinker when things start to go south.
“Doing this alone, you lose your mind,” Theegala said, “It’s so easy to go down rabbit holes, and golfers are notoriously crazy. I would definitely be going down that road if I didn’t have people to support me along the way.”
Theegala likely won’t touch a club until very late Friday afternoon as the rest of the field plays catch-up to complete Day 1 rounds. But when he does, he’ll be ready to go. There is something about Theegala and Phoenix that just works.
